• Home
  • DIY
    • Projects and advice
      • Bathroom
      • Building, brickwork and masonry
      • Ceilings
      • Cleaning
      • Concrete work
      • Damp, rot and infestation
      • Drains
      • Electrical
      • Fireplaces
      • Floors
      • Garden
      • Heating
      • Insulation
      • Kitchen
      • Lighting
      • Lofts
      • Painting and decorating
      • Plasterwork
      • Plumbing
      • Roof and guttering
      • Safety
      • Security
      • Tiling
      • Walls
      • Windows
      • Woodwork
    • Glossary
    • Know your tools
    • Know your materials
  • Cost guides
  • News
Facebook Twitter Instagram
lets-do-diy.com
  • Home
  • DIY
    • Projects and advice
      • Bathroom
      • Building, brickwork and masonry
      • Ceilings
      • Cleaning
      • Concrete work
      • Damp, rot and infestation
      • Drains
      • Electrical
      • Fireplaces
      • Floors
      • Garden
      • Heating
      • Insulation
      • Kitchen
      • Lighting
      • Lofts
      • Painting and decorating
      • Plasterwork
      • Plumbing
      • Roof and guttering
      • Safety
      • Security
      • Tiling
      • Walls
      • Windows
      • Woodwork
    • Glossary
    • Know your tools
    • Know your materials
  • Cost guides
  • News
lets-do-diy.com
You are at:Home»DIY»Know your tools»Plastering tools

Plastering tools

Spot board

A large sheet of plywood or hardboard about 1m (39in) square used to mix mortar or plaster on. A spot board can be rested on trestles if you want it at a more convenient height.

Hawk

A hawk is more portable than a spot board, but does a similar job. It is a hand-held platform, used whilst applying plaster to a wall. Place a small amount of plaster onto the hawk, and hold close to the wall during application.


Plastering trowel

A trowel with a rectangular blade used for applying and spreading plaster and cement renderings from a hawk onto the wall or ceiling.

External corner trowel

This trowel is shaped to finish the plaster on an external corner. Grip the handle and run the external trowel down the corner of the wall.

Internal corner trowel

The opposite shape to the external trowel, but used in the same way, this trowel is used to finish plaster on internal corners.

Finger edging trowel

This small trowel has a narrow blade and is used to achieve a good finish when plastering awkward corners and edges, such as around windows and doors.

Spatulas

These small tools are used for delicate plaster finishing such as on joints or decorative mouldings.

Darby

This is a long metal strip with a handle at each end, used for levelling large areas of first coat plaster. Having applied the plaster to a section of wall between two vertical battens, the blade edge of the Darby is held horizontally across the battens and moved up the wall in a sawing motion. Any excess plaster collecting on the blade of the Darby can be transferred to the spot to avoid waste. Having reached the top of the wall any low areas should be filled and the levelling process repeated until the area of plaster between the battens is completely level.

Feather edge

This is another tool with a long straight edge about 2m (6ft 6in) in length and made of aluminium. It is also used for removing excess plaster and smoothing the surface.

Plasterer’s brush

A plasterer’s brush has a variety of uses such as applying PVA sealant, dampening surfaces and cleaning other plastering tools.

Float

The plasterer’s float used to be made of wood but today they are usually plastic. It is used for finishing render coats.

Mixer drill

This is an excellent tool if you have to mix a large quantity of plaster. It is a high-powered electric drill (at least 1050 watt) fitted with a long bit that has a mixing paddle on the end.

Caulking blade

A caulking blade is a spatula with a wide blade used to smooth jointing mix when dry lining. They usually come in three sizes: 200mm (8in), 250mm (10in) and 300mm (12in).

Taping knives

These tools look similar to wall scrapers, except they are used to press tape into joints between plasterboard when dry lining. Taping knives come in different sizes. The medium sized knife has a 150mm (6in) blade and is used to apply the first coat of jointing compound and to bed the tape into the joint.

A taping knife with a 300mm (12in) blade is used to apply the final coat of jointing compound over the jointing tape.

Jointing sponge

The damp sponge is used to smooth the jointing compound over joint tape when dry lining.

Deadman prop

A deadman is a ‘T’ shaped timber prop used to support a sheet of plasterboard while it is being fixed to the ceiling joists. It can be easily made to the appropriate floor to ceiling height.

Latest News
0

Design trends for 2022 and 2023

0

Product Review: Handsaws

0

Product Review: Claw hammers

1

Prepare your home for moth season

Popular Guides

Average home insurance cost

Average cost to install a shower

Average cost to build a garage

Average cost to lay turf

Popular Projects

Chimney repointing

Fixing a leak around a toilet soil pipe

How to fit a kitchen

10 tips for selling a property in 2022

Recent Comments
  • Anonymous on Average air source heat pump cost (2022)
  • Reggie on Prepare your home for moth season
DIY Categories
Bathroom
Building, brickwork and masonry
Ceilings
Cleaning
Concrete work
Damp, rot and infestation
Drains
Electrical
Fireplaces
Floors
Garden
Heating
Insulation
Kitchen
Lighting
Lofts
Painting and decorating
Plasterwork
Plumbing
Roof and guttering
Safety
Security
Tiling
Walls
Windows
Woodwork

© 2022 lets do diy ltd
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact us

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT