10 Plastering Tools for Beginners and Experienced DIYers
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Whether you’re a beginner exploring a new DIY hobby or a keen amateur ready to tackle a plastering project, having the right plastering tools at your disposal is crucial for achieving a professional finish.
This guide is designed with you in mind. We’ll take you through the basic plastering tools commonly used in the UK, explaining what each one is for, and how it fits into the plastering process. You’ll learn about the various types of trowels and their uses, to essential accessories like the hawk and mixing equipment.
Understanding these tools is the first step to mastering plastering. So, let’s get started and set you on your path to becoming a confident and skilled plasterer.
Plastering trowel
A plastering trowel is a flat, typically rectangular tool used for applying and smoothing plaster onto a wall. The trowel picks up plaster from a hawk, spreads it evenly across a surface, and smoothes it as it dries.
Trowels need to be cleaned after each use to ensure a smooth finish for future plastering work.
Mastering the trowel requires practice, particularly in managing the amount of plaster and applying consistent pressure for a smooth finish.
- Crafted from the highest quality hardened and tempered golden stainless steel to provide ultimate strength and durability.
- Broken-in shape eliminates line and ripple marks and allows you to use the trowel from day one.
- Aluminium alloy mountings are fully heat treated for strength and machine finished to ensure an ideal handle-to-post-fit.
Plastering hawk
A hawk is a flat, square board with a handle underneath. It’s used in plastering to hold a supply of plaster. The plasterer scoops plaster onto the hawk, then from the hawk to the trowel, and then applies the plaster to the wall or ceiling.
The hawk provides a portable, easy-to-use surface that keeps the plaster readily accessible while working. It’s essential to keep the hawk clean and free of dried plaster to avoid contaminating fresh plaster.
Using a hawk effectively may require some practice to balance properly.
- HIGH QUALITY ALUMINUM BLADE: The Plastering Hawk blade is manufactured from high quality tempered aluminium to give you a premium quality product.
- SOFT GRIP HANDLE: The soft grip sponge rubber handle of the OX Plastering Hawk ensures optimum comfort and protection from blisters and callus.
- PRECISION ALUMINUM BLADE: The tempered aluminium blade is machine finished with rounded corners to prevent mortar from sliding over.
Mixing paddle and bucket
A mixing paddle and bucket are essential for preparing plaster. The bucket holds the plaster and water, while the paddle, often attached to a drill, mixes them to the right consistency. These tools ensure the plaster is thoroughly mixed, preventing lumps that could affect the smoothness of the final result.
Mixing paddle (drill required)
- Mixing Paddle 80 x 400mm
Plasterers mixing bucket
- Size: 25L
- Thick rigid plastic construction
- Easy to clean and robust when knocking out used plaster
- With Metal Handle
- Thick rigid plastic construction
Bucket trowel
A bucket trowel is a tool used to scoop plaster out of the mixing bucket. Its design, with a shorter and wider blade, allows for easy and efficient scooping. It’s also used to scrape the sides of the bucket to utilise all the mixed plaster, reducing waste.
- TOUGH AS AN OX: The OX PRO Series Bucket Trowel blade is forged from a single-piece tempered carbon steel that is hardened for extreme durability.
- OX DURA GRIP SOFT HANDLE: The OX PRO Series Bucket Trowel is fitted with Dura Grip Soft Handle with finger protection for ultimate comfort and protection.
- PRACTICAL DESIGN: The straight shank of the OX PRO Series Bucket Trowel is designed to scrape wet mortar and eliminate material wastage in the bucket.
Corner trowel (internal and external)
An internal corner trowel is angled to fit into corners, allowing plaster to be applied smoothly on interior angles of a wall. An external corner trowel, on the other hand, is designed to spread plaster on exterior angles, ensuring a neat and sharp finish. Both help achieve professional results in areas where a regular trowel wouldn’t fit.
Corner trowel (internal)
- PREMIUM DURABILITY TOOL – This corner trowel’s blade is made of highest-quality, solid, corrosion-resistant, Italian stainless steel. Our tapered internal and external corner trowels stand out for…
- PERFECT FOR CORNER FINISHING – Our premium-quality internal and external corner trowels are perfect for shaping concrete around internal or external corners. The anti-slip handle is located at the…
Corner trowel (external)
- PREMIUM DURABILITY TOOL – This corner trowel’s blade is made of highest-quality, solid, corrosion-resistant, Italian stainless steel. Our tapered internal and external corner trowels stand out for…
- PERFECT FOR CORNER FINISHING – Our premium-quality internal and external corner trowels are perfect for shaping concrete around internal or external corners. The anti-slip handle is located at the…
Window trowel
A window trowel is a smaller, more manoeuvrable trowel used for plastering in tight spaces such as around window frames. Its compact size allows for precise application and smooth finishes in areas that a larger trowel can’t reach.
- Forged from one piece of high carbon steel which has been tapered for the required sturdiness and flexibility
- High shank and high lift gives plenty of hand room when using the tool
- Resilient DuraSoft handle provides a soft feel, reduces fatigue, and offers excellent durability
Finishing trowel
A finishing trowel is used to smooth and polish the plaster after it has been applied to the wall. Its polished, flat blade helps achieve a professional, smooth finish, which is especially important in the final stages of plastering. It’s often used once the plaster has started to set, to flatten and smooth out any small imperfections.
- SUPERFLEX 1 stainless steel finishing trowels
- Flexible chrome stainless steel 0.4mm blade
- Most durable flex trowel on the market
- Rounded corners and finished blade edges
- Original flex trowel in the UK
Jointing knife
A jointing knife is a tool used when working with plasterboard. It’s used to apply jointing compound to the seams between plasterboard panels, smoothing the compound to ensure a flat, seamless finish. It typically has a flexible steel blade for ease of application and can come in different widths to suit various tasks.
- HIGH QUALITY STAINLESS STEEL BLADE: The blade of the Pro Joint Knife is flexible and crafted using premium stainless steel which enables perfect feathering of the joints.
- BUILT-IN HAMMER END: To deal with stubborn nail pops on the wall, the Pro Joint Knife has a built-in hammer end. It eliminates the need for a separate hammer for small pops on the wall and makes it an…
- PREMIUM RIVET SYSTEM: The stainless steel blade of the Pro Joint Knife is attached with the handle with a premium rivet system so that it won’t detach easily.