the_fiona•2d agoProlific Poster

Old school trowel vs. modern speed trowel, which side are you on?

I used to swear by my old 11 inch Marshalltown trowel for everything. Took me years to get the handle right and the balance perfect. But about 6 months ago I tried a W.O. Larsen speed trowel at a job in Austin and now I'm torn. The speed trowel lays mud faster but I feel like my joints aren't as clean as they used to be. Anyone else made the switch and stuck with it or went back to the old way?

2 comments

2 Comments

rowan7252d ago

Threw my old Marshalltown in the truck bed after a week with the W.O. Larsen and haven't touched it since. But man, I hear you on the joints not being as clean. I spent two hours the other day going back over a ceiling because the speed trowel left these little ridges I couldn't see until the light hit it just right. The thing is, I'm faster overall but I'm spending more time on touch ups now. Maybe it's just my technique, I don't know, I've been thinking about getting a rubber float for the final pass to smooth it out.

rose_hart2d ago

Yeah @rowan725, that ceiling ridge thing is brutal. Had the same issue on a living room job last month, thought I was done and then the sun hit it through the window and I could see every single pass. Tried a rubber float on a small patch and it did help knock down the high spots, but it also seemed to smear the mud a little thin if I wasn't careful. Might be worth testing on a scrap board first before you commit to it on a whole ceiling.