Tools at a Glance: Masonry Trowel

Posted on by Cassie Vu
28 May

They say it takes a village–a village of different tools–to complete a construction project. One tool you want to keep at hand is the masonry trowel. This tool has many variations and can be used on several different types of projects. Learn more below!

Introducing the Trowel

The trowel is a handheld tool that can be used for mixing mortar, applying mortar, smoothing concrete, patching concrete, and more! This versatile tool has many uses in the construction industry and is incredibly helpful.

It can also be used in tile installation, though we won’t be focusing on that.

Using a Trowel

You’ll probably find yourself using a trowel when you’re working with concrete and mortar. However, this tool has so many variations, there isn’t just one way to use it. Its use depends on what project you’re working on. To give you a better idea of how many different types of trowels there are,

Different Types

Because trowels have such wide uses and can be used for a variety of construction products, it only stands to reason that there are many different types of the trowel.

  • Brick or Mason’s
  • Bucket
    • Good for scooping mortar from a bucket. This is helpful for smoothing mortar on brick.
  • Concrete finishing
    • Used to smooth the surface of concrete after the concrete has already begun to set. The round trowel is a variation of this tool, and it is designed to smooth wet concrete without digging into it.
  • Corner
    • This is a tool that is specially designed to shape concrete around corners. It is designed to apply even pressure to all of the corner’s angles.
  • Gauging
    • The gauging trowel is used to mix and replace mortar as well as patch concrete. It can apply small amounts in small spaces, which makes it an ideal fit for this use.

And this isn’t even all of them! There’s still many more types of masonry trowels that have specialized uses available in the industry.

Ask the Experts

If you have questions or would like to place an order, please contact us at Elston Materials — your Chicago construction and masonry supply house. You can also view all of the tools we carry here.

Cassie Vu