Drywall trowels

Trowel

— specialized tools for smoothing and leveling plaster, putty, and other similar materials. A trowel is a metal plate on a handle; when used, the plate is pressed almost flat against the surface being worked on. Some trowels may have teeth on certain edges (see "notched trowel" for more details).

It should be noted that leveling operations can also be performed with a spatula (see the relevant section); the choice between a spatula and a trowel depends more on personal preference than on the clear advantages and disadvantages of each. It is also worth mentioning that trowels are similar in purpose to floats (see the relevant section), and sometimes these names are even used interchangeably. However, there is still a difference: trowels perform rough smoothing, while floats are used for final leveling.