Bucket Trowels

About Bucket Trowels

A bucket trowel is a specialist hand tool designed specifically for scooping plaster, mortar, cement, and other building materials directly from buckets and mixing containers. Unlike standard pointing or plastering trowels, bucket trowels feature a distinctive rounded shape with smooth, curved edges that allow you to extract every last bit of material from the bucket without scratching or damaging plastic containers. This unique design minimises waste, prevents plastic contamination in your mix, and makes site clean-up considerably easier.

MyToolShed.co.uk stocks bucket trowels from trusted brands including Faithfull, Blue Spot, Draper, RST, Sealey, and Spear and Jackson. Available in both carbon steel and stainless steel constructions, these tools typically feature soft-grip handles for comfortable extended use and welded construction for durability. Whether you're a professional plasterer working on commercial projects or a DIY enthusiast tackling home improvements, a quality bucket trowel ensures cleaner working practices and efficient material handling.

Applications

Bucket trowels are essential tools for a wide range of construction professionals and applications:

• Plasterers: Transferring plaster, skim, and render from mixing buckets to hawks and surfaces
• Bricklayers: Scooping mortar from buckets onto spot boards or directly onto laying trowels
• Tilers: Extracting adhesive and grout from containers with minimal waste
• Renderers: Efficiently transferring render materials during external facade projects
• General Builders: Handling various mixed materials across multi-trade applications
• Decorators: Scooping filler and textured coatings during wall preparation
• DIY Enthusiasts: Home improvement projects involving plastering, tiling, or rendering work

Choosing The Right Bucket Trowels

When selecting a bucket trowel from MyToolShed.co.uk, consider these important factors:

Blade Material: Carbon steel options from brands like Draper and Faithfull offer excellent value and durability for general use, whilst stainless steel models such as the Sealey Stainless Steel Bucket Trowel resist corrosion and are easier to maintain in wet conditions. Carbon steel requires proper care to prevent rust but provides excellent rigidity for dense materials.

Handle Comfort: For regular daily use, invest in a model with a soft-grip handle to reduce hand fatigue and improve control when transferring heavy materials. Most professional-grade options from Blue Spot and RST feature ergonomic grip designs that provide better control, particularly when working with wet hands.

Build Quality: Look for welded construction where the blade is securely attached to the handle tang, ensuring the tool can withstand repeated use and the forces involved in scooping dense materials like mortar and render.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between a bucket trowel and a regular trowel?
Bucket trowels feature rounded shapes with smooth, curved edges specifically designed for scooping material from buckets without causing scratches. Regular pointing or finishing trowels have squared edges and flatter profiles optimised for applying and smoothing materials on surfaces rather than scooping from containers.

Should I choose carbon steel or stainless steel?
Carbon steel bucket trowels offer excellent durability at a lower price point and are perfectly adequate for most applications, though they require cleaning and drying after use to prevent rust. Stainless steel options cost more but resist corrosion naturally, making them ideal if you frequently work in wet conditions or prefer low-maintenance tools.

How do I maintain my bucket trowel?
Clean your bucket trowel thoroughly after each use, removing all material residue before it hardens. For carbon steel blades, dry completely and consider applying a light oil coating for storage. Stainless steel models require less maintenance but still benefit from proper cleaning to ensure longevity.