Tile Trowels – Notched, Margin & Finishing Trowels for Every Mortar Job

The trowel decides how much mortar ends up under your tile, and that matters more than most people realize until they've dealt with hollow spots under a cracked tile years later. This category covers the full range, from big notched trowels for spreading thinset to small margin trowels for detail work in corners and edges.

Marshalltown is the name that shows up across almost every type of trowel here, tile setter's trowels, finishing trowels, the golden stainless steel line, they've built a reputation on consistency across the board. Raimondi, Sigma, and Montolit bring more specialized options built specifically around tile and stone work, precision tools for installers who are running trowels daily. Perfect Level Master's edging trowel is a newer entry worth knowing about, built specifically to pair with leveling systems, it scores tile edges and spreads thinset in one pass instead of needing two separate tools.

The debate that actually matters most here isn't brand, it's notch size and shape. A square-notch trowel is the standard for most floor tile, the size of the notch controls how much mortar gets laid down and needs to match the tile's size and the flatness of your substrate. A V-notch trowel lays down less material and is common for smaller tile or wall work where you don't need as much mortar coverage. Get the notch size wrong and you end up either starving the tile of mortar, which risks hollow spots and cracking, or overloading it, which pushes mortar up through the grout lines. Most manufacturers publish a recommended notch size for their thinset, and it's worth following that over guessing based on the tile size alone.

Handle comfort matters too on a long job. A lot of the newer trowels, Marshalltown's included, use a soft grip handle specifically to cut down on hand fatigue over a full day of spreading mortar.

Not sure which trowel fits your tile and mortar? Give us a call, we'll help you match it up.