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A trowel is a small
hand tool A hand tool is any tool that is powered manual labour, by hand rather than a motor. Categories of hand tools include wrenches, pliers, cutter (disambiguation), cutters, File (tool), files, hammer, striking tools, chisel, struck or hammered tools, ...
used for digging, applying, smoothing, or moving small amounts of viscous or particulate material. Common varieties include the
masonry trowel The masonry trowel is a hand trowel used in brickwork or stonework for levelling, spreading and shaping Mortar (masonry), mortar or concrete. They come in several shapes and sizes depending on the task. The following is a list of the more common ...
, garden trowel, and float trowel. A
power trowel A power trowel (also known as a "power float" and "troweling machine") is a piece of light construction equipment used by construction companies and contractors to apply a smooth finish to concrete slabs. Types Power trowels differ in the way ...
is a much larger gasoline or electrically powered walk-behind device with rotating paddles used to finish concrete floors.


Hand trowel

Numerous forms of trowel are used in
masonry Masonry is the craft of building a structure with brick, stone, or similar material, including mortar plastering which are often laid in, bound, and pasted together by mortar (masonry), mortar. The term ''masonry'' can also refer to the buildin ...
,
concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...
, and
drywall Drywall (also called plasterboard, dry lining, wallboard, sheet rock, gib board, gypsum board, buster board, turtles board, slap board, custard board, gypsum panel and gyprock) is a panel made of calcium sulfate dihydrate (gypsum), with or with ...
construction, as well as applying adhesives such as those used in tiling and laying synthetic flooring.
Masonry trowel The masonry trowel is a hand trowel used in brickwork or stonework for levelling, spreading and shaping Mortar (masonry), mortar or concrete. They come in several shapes and sizes depending on the task. The following is a list of the more common ...
s are traditionally made of
forged Forging is a manufacturing process involving the shaping of metal using localized compression (physics), compressive forces. The blows are delivered with a hammer (often a power hammer) or a die (manufacturing), die. Forging is often classif ...
carbon steel Carbon steel is a steel with carbon content from about 0.05 up to 2.1 percent by weight. The definition of carbon steel from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) states: * no minimum content is specified or required for chromium, cobalt ...
, but some newer versions are made of cast
stainless steel Stainless steel, also known as inox, corrosion-resistant steel (CRES), or rustless steel, is an iron-based alloy that contains chromium, making it resistant to rust and corrosion. Stainless steel's resistance to corrosion comes from its chromi ...
, which has longer wear and is rust-free. These include: *Bricklayer's trowel has an elongated triangular-shaped flat metal blade, used by masons for leveling, spreading, and shaping
cement A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mi ...
,
plaster Plaster is a building material used for the protective or decorative coating of walls and ceilings and for moulding and casting decorative elements. In English, "plaster" usually means a material used for the interiors of buildings, while "re ...
, and mortar. *Pointing trowel, a scaled-down version of a bricklayer's trowel, for small jobs and repair work. *Tuck pointing trowel is long and thin, designed for packing mortar between bricks. *Float trowel or finishing trowel is usually rectangular, used to smooth, level, or texture the top layer of hardening concrete. A flooring trowel has one rectangular end and one pointed end, made to fit corners. A grout float is used for applying and working
grout Grout is a dense substance that flows like a liquid yet hardens upon application, often used to fill gaps or to function as reinforcement in existing structures. Grout is generally a mixture of water, cement, and sand, and is frequently employe ...
into gaps in floor and wall tile. *Gauging trowel has a rounded tip, used to mix measured proportions of the different ingredients for quick set
plaster Plaster is a building material used for the protective or decorative coating of walls and ceilings and for moulding and casting decorative elements. In English, "plaster" usually means a material used for the interiors of buildings, while "re ...
. *Pool trowel is a flat-bladed tool with rounded ends used to apply coatings to concrete, especially on
swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming and associated activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built abo ...
decks. *Margin trowel is a small rectangular bladed tool used to move, apply, and smooth small amounts of masonry or adhesive material. *Notched trowel is a rectangular shaped tool with regularly spaced notches along one or more sides used to apply adhesive when adhering tile, or laying synthetic floor surfaces. Other forms of trowel include: *
Garden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate bot ...
trowel, a hand tool with a pointed, scoop-shaped metal
blade A blade is the Sharpness (cutting), sharp, cutting portion of a tool, weapon, or machine, specifically designed to puncture, chop, slice, or scrape surfaces or materials. Blades are typically made from materials that are harder than those they a ...
and wooden, metal, or plastic handle. It is comparable to a
spade A spade is a tool primarily for digging consisting of a long handle and blade, typically with the blade narrower and flatter than the common shovel. Early spades were made of riven wood or of animal bones (often shoulder blades). After the a ...
or
shovel A shovel is a tool used for digging, lifting, and moving bulk materials, such as soil, coal, gravel, snow, sand, or ore. Most shovels are hand tools consisting of a broad blade fixed to a medium-length handle. Shovel blades are usually made ...
, but is generally much smaller, being designed for use with one hand. It is used for breaking up earth, digging small holes, especially for
planting Sowing is the process of planting seeds. An area that has had seeds planted in it will be described as a sowed or sown area. Plants which are usually sown Among the major field crops, oats, wheat, and rye are sown, grasses and legumes are ...
and
weeding Weed control is a type of pest control, which attempts to stop or reduce growth of weeds, especially noxious weeds, with the aim of reducing their competition with desired flora and fauna including domesticated plants and livestock, and in nat ...
, mixing in
fertilizer A fertilizer or fertiliser is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from liming materials or other non-nutrient soil amendments. Man ...
or other additives, and transferring plants to pots. *
Camping Camping is a form of outdoor recreation or outdoor education involving overnight stays with a basic temporary shelter such as a tent. Camping can also include a recreational vehicle, sheltered cabins, a permanent tent, a shelter such as a Bivy bag ...
trowel, a hand tool used in the outdoors to securely stake and prop up a tent, channel a small stream of water, level a sleeping surface, dig a cathole for no traces of waste and do many more outdoor survival chores. Camping trowels can sometimes be made of lighter weight materials than gardening trowels to make them easier to carry in a backpack or they can be made of heavier materials for chopping kindling or shoveling soil without having to awkwardly reach or bend over. Camping trowels may incorporate a secondary side ruler to measure ground surface depth; however, the ruler might prematurely become defaced from course soil particulates. Camping trowels sometimes have a front tip and side features, such as a pointed tip and a serrated side edge to easily cut through tree roots or frozen soil. These serrated camping trowels may include a cover guard to protect the user from cut wounds as well as save backpacks from puncture holes and tears. They may also fold-up for added protection and easy storage. Few others allow for items such as toilet paper to be stored upon or inside the handle. Camping Trowels - Equipment Spotlight. 2. Amazing Outdoor Adventurers Article. Retrieved 2020-05-08. Best Camping Trowels Reviewed. *In
archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
brick or pointing trowels (usually 4" or 5" steel trowels) are used to scratch the strata in an excavation and allow the colors of the soil to be clear, so that the different strata can be identified, processed and excavated. In the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, there are several preferred brands of pointing trowels, including the Marshalltown trowel; while in the
British Isles The British Isles are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Outer Hebr ...
the WHS 4" pointing trowel is the traditional tool.


See also

* * * Taping knife, a drywall tool with a wide blade for spreading joint compound * Putty knife, a generally smaller and variously shaped tool used in a variety of applications *
Palette knife A palette knife is a blunt tool used for mixing or applying paint, with a flexible steel blade. It is primarily used for applying paint to the canvas, mixing paint colors, adding texture to the painted surface, paste, etc., or for Paper marbling, ...
, a smaller but similarly shaped tool used in oil painting *
Power trowel A power trowel (also known as a "power float" and "troweling machine") is a piece of light construction equipment used by construction companies and contractors to apply a smooth finish to concrete slabs. Types Power trowels differ in the way ...
* ''
Kunai A is a Japanese multipurpose tool and weapon thought to be originally derived from the masonry trowel. Design A ''kunai'' normally had a leaf-shaped wrought blade in lengths ranging from and a handle with a ring on the pommel for attach ...
'' * ''
Hori hori A ''hori-hori'', sometimes called a "soil knife" or a "weeding knife", is a heavy serrated multi-purpose steel blade for gardening jobs such as digging or cutting. The blade is sharp on both sides and comes to a semi-sharp point at the end. His ...
''


References

{{Masonry tools Mechanical hand tools Gardening tools Plastering de:Kelle