I have a few holes in the ceiling I've been putting off repairing.
What product should I use for large (150mm, 200mm) holes?
How about when you cut the hole a little too big? Should you put new plaster in, then cut a new hole?
I've found Spakfilla Heavy Duty, Gyprock Rapid Plaster Repair Kit from Bunnings
From YouTube, I've seen that wood backing is used on behind the new plaster. I plan on reusing that area again so a wood backing will restrict me.
Is there a way to fill large holes without wood backing? Will those products I mentioned to the trick?
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Cut a square section of plasterboard bigger than the hole. Trace the shape of your precut piece of plaster on the ceiling around the existing hole you want to patch and cut it out. Insert your pre-cut piece into the perfectly sized hole for it. Support the new piece of plasterboard by screwing it to something behind.
Normally the support piece behind would be timber, as you say, but at a push you could use another longer plasterboard piece in the ceiling to glue to instead of timber, but it will not be as strong.
Plasterboard jointing tape will help, and you should use it anyway, but the structural benefits will be marginal. Tape will typically not be enough to hold the plasterboard piece in place on its own in the absence of additional support from having the plasterboard piece screwed to something.
No wet application products will fill a 200mm hole in the ceiling, they'll all drip out even if you try to trowel wet filler through jointing tape
The plaster repair kit will work, but that's got a sheet of plasterboard in it for the processes above, so doesn't address your issue.
What are you planning on reusing the area for?