Advice on plaster types

[Andrew Gabriel]

That's a [plastering] trowel, not a float.

[nightjar]

In which case, we are only discusing a difference in nomenclature. I have always bought them from ironmongers that describe them as floats and I have always known them by that name.

Colin Bignell

[Andrew Gabriel]

Oh, OK. Trowels are sprung steel (with some stainless steel ones appearing more recently). The most critical part is the long straight edge which is polished up very smooth during use. Floats are wooden or plastic. The working part of a float is the face which are available with varying degrees of roughness, and are used to rough up or flatten off render. They aren't much use with plaster (gypsom plasters at least).