GIB Stopping & Interior Plastering
Interior plasterboard fixing, stopping and skimming finished to AS/NZS 2589 Level 4 or Level 5 — the flat, true substrate that every good paint finish depends on.
What GIB stopping actually involves
GIB stopping is the process of making separate sheets of plasterboard read as one continuous surface. It is a multi-stage process and each stage needs to dry before the next begins, which is why rushed stopping is visible for the life of the wall.
- Joint taping — paper tape bedded into compound across every sheet joint
- Fastener stopping — every screw and nail head filled
- Second and third coats — each progressively wider, feathering the joint into the board
- Sanding — to a flat, uniform surface with no visible ridges or hollows
- Corner work — internal and external angles, including metal or paper-faced beads
Level 4 and Level 5 explained
New Zealand plasterboard finishing is specified under AS/NZS 2589. The level refers to how much compound is applied, not to workmanship quality.
Level 4 — joints, fasteners and beads coated and sanded. Suitable for most residential walls and ceilings finished in matt or low-sheen paint under normal lighting. This is the standard specification for most New Zealand homes.
Level 5 — everything in Level 4 plus a skim coat of compound across the entire surface. Specified where critical lighting will rake across the wall, where gloss or semi-gloss paint is used, or where dark colours will be applied. Costs more and is worth it in the right places.
Specifying Level 5 throughout a house is usually unnecessary. Specifying Level 4 on a feature wall beside floor-to-ceiling glazing is a mistake. We will tell you which walls genuinely warrant the upgrade.
Repairs, skimming and texture removal
Not every plastering job is new construction. A large share of our work is remediation:
- Crack repair — including settlement and seismic cracking, cut out and re-taped rather than simply filled
- Wall skimming — a full skim over tired or damaged walls to bring them back to a flat finish
- Texture and popcorn ceiling removal — including skimming flat afterwards
- Wallpaper removal — and repairing the substrate damage underneath
- Water damage reinstatement — replacing affected board and re-stopping
On pre-2000 buildings, textured ceilings may contain asbestos. We do not disturb suspect material without testing.
Why stopping quality determines paint quality
Paint does not hide substrate defects; it reveals them. A high-build paint system over poor stopping will still show every ridge, hollow and tape line once light hits it at an angle.
Because we do both the stopping and the painting, there is no argument about whose defect a visible joint is. We prepare the substrate we are going to paint, and we are accountable for the finished result.
Frequently Asked Questions
Fixing is installing the plasterboard sheets onto the framing. Stopping is the finishing process that follows — taping joints, filling fastener heads, applying and sanding multiple coats of compound so the separate sheets read as one flat surface.
Level 4 suits most residential walls painted matt or low-sheen under normal lighting. Level 5 adds a full skim coat and is recommended where critical lighting rakes across the wall, or where gloss, semi-gloss or dark colours are used.
Yes. Cracks are cut out, re-taped and re-stopped rather than simply filled, because filling alone allows the crack to reappear as the building moves.
Yes, including skimming the ceiling flat afterwards. Note that textured ceilings in buildings from before 2000 may contain asbestos and must be tested before being disturbed.
Each coat needs to dry before the next is applied, typically 12 to 24 hours depending on humidity and temperature. A standard room usually takes three to four days across all stages before it is ready for painting.
Ready to Get Started?
Free, no-obligation quotes across the North Island.