What Is the Best Trowel to Use for Cultured Stone Work?

Flat Trowel

• During the preparatory phases of any cultured stone installation, you have to cover the wire mesh with a scratch coat of cement mud. The easiest way to apply this is with a metal flat trowel, with the most common size being a 12-inch trowel. The mud is applied to the wall, spread upward with the metal trowel and pushed into and behind the wire mesh, then smoothed over to prepare for the stone installation.

Margin Trowel

• While margin trowels are more common in tile installations rather than cultured stone, they are a handy tool to have around. You can use one to scoop mud out of the container onto each individual piece, or you can apply mud directly on the wall with the margin trowel on top of the scratch coat. Since it is a smaller, hand-held trowel, you can control the amount of mud with greater efficiency than a typical flat trowel for smearing mud.

Mason Trowel

• Similar to margin trowels, a mason trowel is also one you can use. The difference between the two is that while the margin trowel for tile has a rectangular shape to it with square corners on the outer edge, the mason trowel is pointed at the tip, like an elongated triangle. This is to help with packing mud between the joints of bricks and stones, and you can use it in the same fashion as a margin trowel for mud application.

Hawk Trowel

• A hawk trowel is less of a trowel and more of an additional tool. It is not used to apply mud directly to the wall, but is instead held in your off hand with an amount of mud on the metal top of the hawk. This allows you to scoop the mud directly on the wall with a flat trowel or margin/mason trowel and work without needing to continually go back to a bucket or container for more mud. You can also use it to catch excess mud as it falls from the wall by holding it against the wall while you work.