How to Fill Holes in Walls: Get a Smooth Invisible Finish

Hand holding filler knife and applying filler to grey wall
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Once you know how to fill holes in walls you can eliminate those nasty dents, cracks and hollows that have been spoiling the smooth finish of your wall. 

Some holes such as nail or screw holes are much easier to deal with than small and large holes. These can be fixed in seconds, but bigger holes need a little more attention and take a little more time.

But, whatever the size of the hole it needs to be filled properly so that all your hard prep work doesn’t fail you when painting a wall later. So follow our guide for dealing with small holes, hairline cracks and larger holes to make sure you get a neat smooth finish that no-one will even notice. 

Steve Jenkins

Steve Jenkins is a freelance content creator with over two decades of experience working in digital and print and was previously the DIY content editor for Homebuilding & Renovating. 

He is a keen DIYer with over 20 years of experience in transforming and renovating the many homes he has lived in. He specialises in painting and decorating, but has a wide range of skills gleaned from working in the building trade for around 10 years and spending time at night school learning how to plaster and plumb.

He has fitted kitchens, tiled bathrooms and kitchens, laid many floors, built partition walls, plastered walls, plumbed in bathrooms, worked on loft conversions and much more. And when he's not sure how to tackle a DIY project he has a wide network of friends – including plumbers, gas engineers, tilers, carpenters, painters and decorators, electricians and builders – in the trade to call upon.