Masonry Trowels

Trowels, knives and spreaders from Marshalltown and Warner: finishing and margin trowels, square and V-notched spreaders, plastic spreader scrapers, and carbon steel putty and taping knives in stiff and flexible. Notch size is the spec that decides how much adhesive stays under the tile or the sheet, and it is set by the material rather than by preference — using a smaller notch than the manufacturer calls for is the usual cause of hollow spots. On knives, stiff blades scrape and set compound, flexible blades feather and skim; a 10 in. taping knife is for the second and third coats on a seam, a narrow putty knife is for filling. Margin trowels are the small rectangular tool used for mixing, buttering and cleaning the bucket, and most crews own more of them than anything else here.