Trowel size.

[junfan]

hi could anybody tell me the regular trowel size as when i watch videos on utube some guys use long trowels and some short,whitch is the right towel to use, and is it worth buying a long trowel ?

 

[Richard C]

The size of your trowel rather depends on what sort of work your doing & how strong your arms are. If your just starting out, it’s best to start off with a small trowel, it’ll be easier for you to handle & get into small places & your arms won’t feel like they are about to drop off ½ way through the day. Those who are young, fit & aspire to “super spread” status working on commercial or large new build contracts will want the largest trowel they can get hold of to make the process as quick as possible. If your just doing renovation or re-plastering work it won’t make a lot of difference but you can use a small trowel for laying on & a larger one for troweling off. In theory, a larger trowel should give you a flatter finish but it’s more unwieldy & it’s your technique that really matters; personally, I still use a trusty old 11 inch trowel both for laying on & troweling up.

 

[trowelmonkey1]

agree Rich, too much emphasis on the size really, more the technique that counts.

wise to also have some margin trowels though, angle trowels and a pipe trowel, these will help you with awkward spots that a normal trowel won't get into.

 

[joe-90]

I use an 18 inch trowel to get things really flat then use an 11 inch for polishing.

 

[Richard C]

I use an 18 inch trowel to get things really flat then use an 11 inch for polishing.

Blimey, Joe's a superspread

 

[noseall]

Humps and hollows are easier followed by a smaller trowel.

So, with this in mind a larger or longer trowel will encourage you to apply more gear and get things flatter.

I use an 11" Ragni for dotting, a 14" permashape pre-worn stainless Marshaltown (lovely trowel) for skimming or floating and an 18" wooden handled chamfered floor trowel for screeding.

 

[Micilin]

I think it's down to personal preference, and how long you want to keep your elbows.

I use a 13" x 5" for floating, and would use an 11" rather than go bigger , especially for sand and cement

I use a 14"x 4 3/4" for skimming.

Don't believe it make any difference to speed or quality, fastest spread I ever worked with used 11" marshalltown for everything, used to make at least 1200-1500 a week - back in the eighties.

Seen good , bad all different size trowels and think technique and natural ability or aptitude are more important.

So to sum up, whatever you are comfortable with works in my book!!

 

[NickB_99]

From newbee-DIY-corner .....
I started out with a pre-worn SS Marshalltown 11".
Now have a pre-worn SS Marshalltown 14" twelve months on.

I find the 11" is far easier to use & definitely to learn with.
The 14" I find only suits me better on large flat walls with minimum light switches, sockets or complications.

Ceilings I will stick to 11" to lay-on and 14" to trowel.
Tried 14" and it nearly killed me!

 

[roy c]

I cant understand how you "boys" can swop and change trowels..I tend to use my 14" tyzack for skimming and I have a couple of marshaltowns (14") one of which I use on sand and cement work and sometimes on skimming. I have had a 12" marshaltown for years that I give to any lad I am teaching and before long I get it back when they have invested in a 14" trowel after using my spare one.. I also have a bigger hawk to take more muck owing to the size of the trowel....

 

[neds]

I've just invested in a 14" Ragni Stainless steel trowel recently to my collection. I also have an 11" one.