Trowel Size Guide for Different Applications

When choosing the ideal plastering trowel for your project, there are several critical factors to consider. The variety of trowels available on the market is vast, each designed for specific tasks and finishes. Among the options are plastic trowels, stainless steel trowels, midget trowels, pool trowels, and many others, each offering unique benefits.
Achieving the perfect finish is paramount in plastering, as the final appearance of your wall hinges on the quality of your work. The trowel you select plays a crucial role in this process, impacting not only your finishes but also your efficiency and technique.
In this blog, we will explore the different types and sizes of trowels suited for various applications. The size of your plastering trowel significantly influences your control, speed, and the amount of pressure you apply during plastering. By understanding the nuances of each trowel type, you can make an informed decision that will enhance the quality and ease of your plastering projects.
What You Need to Know
Control: Smaller trowels provide greater control, making them ideal for detailed work, tight spaces, or areas with intricate features. Larger trowels, on the other hand, cover more surface area, which is useful for broad, flat walls but can be harder to manage in confined spaces.
Speed: The size of the trowel influences how quickly you can apply plaster. A larger trowel allows you to cover more area with each stroke, increasing your speed on large, open surfaces. Additionally, smaller trowels may slow you down, but they offer the precision needed for detailed areas where accuracy is more important than speed.
Pressure: The amount of pressure you can apply with a trowel also varies with its size. Larger trowels can distribute pressure more evenly across a wider area, helping to achieve a smooth, even finish on broad surfaces. Smaller trowels concentrate pressure on a smaller area, which can be beneficial for working in tight spots or when you need to exert more control over the plaster application.
Finish Quality: The size of the trowel can also affect the smoothness and evenness of the plaster finish. Larger trowels can create a more uniform finish across expansive areas. In comparison, smaller trowels are better suited for fine-tuning and finishing edges, corners, or other detailed sections of a wall.
A Breakdown Of Trowel Sizes
Coving Trowels - 1-2".
Best For: Producing smooth corners and uniform coves.
Coving trowels are designed with a curved edge for producing smooth corners, particularly in hygienic environments. They can be used on epoxy screed coves, gutters and grooves in concrete and edging slabs and stairs.
Margin Trowels - 1.25" - 2.25".
Best For: Small repairs, tight spaces, and detailed work.
Margin trowels have a flat rectangular blade specifically designed for finishing in tight spaces and confined areas, such as around windows. They are commonly used in tiling projects to efficiently level and spread mortar or tile adhesive in hard-to-reach spots.
Spatula Trowels - 1.5" - 4".
Best For: Small repairs, tight spaces, and detailed work.
The spatula trowels in the REFINA collection range from 1.5″ to 4″ and have a stainless steel blade. They are perfect for detailed work and hard-to-reach areas, allowing you to achieve precise finishes with ease.
Square End Trowels - 4.75" - 10".
Best For: Finishing and detailed work, scooping & cleaning the bucket of residue.
Square-end trowels and bucket trowels are equipped with a stainless steel blade featuring a square end, making them versatile tools for a variety of tasks. Their design is ideal for both finishing and detailed work, allowing you to achieve clean edges and precise finishes. In addition to their use in finishing, these trowels are also highly effective for loading plaster, mortar, or other mixes onto your trowel with ease. The square end is particularly useful for scraping the sides of buckets, helping to clean away any remaining residue.
Angle Trowels - 4.75" - 9".
Best For: Corner work & difficult-to-reach areas.
Angle trowels, commonly known as corner trowels, are specifically designed for working on corners, including both internal and external angles. REFINA’s selection of internal corner trowels features a precise 90-degree angle, making them perfect for achieving sharp, clean finishes on internal corners. These trowels are versatile and can be used with a variety of plasters, including Gypsum, cement, and Venetian decorative plasters.
Harling Trowels - 6" - 10".
Best For: Pebble dash finishing.
Harling trowels are specialised tools designed for render and pebble dashing, making them essential for applying roughcast and pebbles to achieve a pebble-dash finish on exterior walls. These trowels allow you to easily scoop up pebbles and then throw them onto the mortar, ensuring an even and effective application.
Pointing Trowels - 6.25".
Best For: Small jobs and repair work.
Pointing trowels feature a tapered stainless steel blade with a rounded end and they are widely used for pointing, detail and cornice work.
Gauging Trowels - 6.25".
Best For: Mixing & applying + scooping & cleaning the bucket of residue.
Similar to pointing trowels, gauging trowels are commonly used for mixing and applying repair mortars, as well as scraping the side of buckets to retrieve the remaining residue. These trowels are also ideal for working in tight spaces, allowing for detailed work that results in excellent finishes.
Midget Trowels - 8".
Best For: Finishing small areas.
Midget trowels are available with square, rounded, pointed, or trapezoid-shaped corners. They are designed to be lightweight for ease of use and are a key component of any plasterer’s toolkit. They help finish small areas around doors, frames, and switches.
Polishing Trowels - 8" - 11".
Best For: Trowelling up and applying Venetian plasters and micro-cements.
Polishing trowels have rounded corners and chamfered blade edges, designed to be used on Venetian plaster and micro-cements. They are used for burnishing and trowelling up and for applying marble grain polished plasters.
Notched Trowels & Spatulas - 8" - 26".
Best For: Smoothing, scraping and evenly distributing materials.
Notched trowels and spatulas are ideal for smoothing, scraping, and evenly distributing materials on floor, wall, or ceiling installations.
The REFINA collection of notched and adhesive trowels features the advanced NotchTile spreading trowels, developed by professionals for professionals to optimise the tiling application process.
Plastic Trowels & Floats - 11" - 48".
Best For: Finishing, final trowelling & polishing multi-finish plasters.
Plastic trowels and floats are lightweight and highly flexible, making them ideal for applying finishing coats. Their plastic blades smoothly glide over surfaces to deliver a tight, polished finish.
Our PLAZIFLEX trowels offer several advantages, particularly when working with wet plaster. They allow for efficient application, reducing delays while ensuring a consistent, uniform finish.
Finishing Trowels - 12" - 18".
Best For: Multi-finish and board-finish plaster applications.
Finishing trowels are used to achieve the desired smoothness on plaster surfaces. They are specifically designed to compact and polish the surface, ensuring a professional-quality finish.
REFINA SUPERFLEX trowels are renowned for their durability and flexibility. They feature radiused corners and finely finished blade edges, which minimise drag during application and enhance overall performance.
Pool Trowels - 14" - 20".
Best For: Creating smooth & flat surfaces.
Pool trowels are available from 14″ – 20″ and are ideal for creating smooth, flat surfaces in the finishing coats. They have rounded ends for use on specialist floor and wall finishes, and you can choose from either a short-shank or long-shank pool trowel.
Plastering Trowels REFINA Recommends
Sizes: 18″ – 18″
Premium plaster trowels
Stainless steel 0.65mm blade & slightly radiused corners
Sizes: 12″ – 18″
The original flexible plastering trowel
Radiused corners & finished blade edges to prevent drag
Sizes: 14″ – 18″
Rose gold stainless steel blade
Flexible 0.5mm gauge blade
8″ midget trowel
0.4mm stainless steel blade
Rounded corners & finished blade edges
4.3″ wide midget blade
0.4mm stainless steel blade
Rounded corners & finished blade edges
Sizes: 12″ – 24″
Plastic blade with foam back
Interchangeable using the 8″ mini trowel
Material Also Makes A Difference
In addition to size, it’s also important to consider the type of trowel material, such as stainless steel or plastic, which can affect the flexibility and durability of the tool. The right combination of size and material will ensure that your trowel performs optimally for the task at hand.
For further information on REFINA’s range of plastering trowels, explore the full range online or download our catalogue.