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What Sizes of putty knives should you have in your collection?

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Deal Addict
Oct 17, 2010
2059 posts
359 upvotes

What Sizes of putty knives should you have in your collection?

Whether your a contractor or a DIY who wants to get into mudding, what are the general ideal sizes of putty knives you should have in your collection?

i see their mainly from 1inch all the way up to 10 inches and are available for almost all sizes in between.

I was thinking 2inch, 4 inch, 6 inch and 10 inch?
7 replies
Deal Addict
Mar 14, 2018
1480 posts
1584 upvotes
GTA
You don't need that many. I'd personally get one large one (6 in) and one of those painter's combo tool (2-3 in).
Deal Addict
Jun 26, 2019
2130 posts
1854 upvotes
GTA
Ok, lets see....

First of all, don't buy cheap knives, buy good ones that are less than twice the price and will last you a very long time as opposed to a few uses. CSR in the GTA and a few other shops have great prices and selections. All of my stuff is Level 5 - It should be noted that dewalt is just level 5 rebranded at a higher price point, however there are sales sometimes on dewalt you can get cheaper than level 5.

Into my collection, I have:

2", 3", 4", 5", 6", 8", then I want to say I also have a 10" and a 14", but they see very little action. In addition to these, I also have a 24" and 32" skimming blade as well as a curved and a flat trowel - the flat one gets used.

These are by far my favorite: https://csrbuilding.com/products/level- ... 1430115467

By far I use the 5" knife probably the most. Between the 5" knife and my trowel, that's probably basically 95% of my use excluding ceilings: https://csrbuilding.com/products/level- ... 4109094027

For ceilings and just to attain a level 5 finish, I would recommend a skimming blade, but you may not need it depending on your application: https://csrbuilding.com/products/level- ... 1499255947

If I had to choose a smaller selection I think I would get a 5" or 6", either or, as the main go to. You will likely need a 2" or 3" to get into smaller spaces - I find this gets used not that much, however if you have to do something between an electrical box and door casing, you just need it sometimes. And then a larger 8" or 10" knife would be a nice to have or a trowel, and a skimming blade I would get for doing full level 5 jobs/skim coats as well as if you're doing any ceiling work.

So long story short. 2" + 5" + maybe a larger one or a trowel. Then a skimming blade for a ceiling/skim coats/full level 5 jobs.

Also, just one last thing, a trowel is probably by far the best tool, makes things way faster - however, if you don't do it on a regular basis, its a lot harder to get the feel for it. Its wayy easier for a newbie to feather an edge using a knife compared to a trowel.
Deal Addict
Oct 17, 2010
2059 posts
359 upvotes
SubjectivelyObjective wrote: Ok, lets see....

First of all, don't buy cheap knives, buy good ones that are less than twice the price and will last you a very long time as opposed to a few uses. CSR in the GTA and a few other shops have great prices and selections. All of my stuff is Level 5 - It should be noted that dewalt is just level 5 rebranded at a higher price point, however there are sales sometimes on dewalt you can get cheaper than level 5.

Into my collection, I have:

2", 3", 4", 5", 6", 8", then I want to say I also have a 10" and a 14", but they see very little action. In addition to these, I also have a 24" and 32" skimming blade as well as a curved and a flat trowel - the flat one gets used.

These are by far my favorite: https://csrbuilding.com/products/level- ... 1430115467

By far I use the 5" knife probably the most. Between the 5" knife and my trowel, that's probably basically 95% of my use excluding ceilings: https://csrbuilding.com/products/level- ... 4109094027

For ceilings and just to attain a level 5 finish, I would recommend a skimming blade, but you may not need it depending on your application: https://csrbuilding.com/products/level- ... 1499255947

If I had to choose a smaller selection I think I would get a 5" or 6", either or, as the main go to. You will likely need a 2" or 3" to get into smaller spaces - I find this gets used not that much, however if you have to do something between an electrical box and door casing, you just need it sometimes. And then a larger 8" or 10" knife would be a nice to have or a trowel, and a skimming blade I would get for doing full level 5 jobs/skim coats as well as if you're doing any ceiling work.

So long story short. 2" + 5" + maybe a larger one or a trowel. Then a skimming blade for a ceiling/skim coats/full level 5 jobs.

Also, just one last thing, a trowel is probably by far the best tool, makes things way faster - however, if you don't do it on a regular basis, its a lot harder to get the feel for it. Its wayy easier for a newbie to feather an edge using a knife compared to a trowel.
i appreciate the time and effort int he detailed response. thank you.

I was thinking of getting these off amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Stainless-10-Inch ... 960&sr=8-3

stainless steel and dewalt seems to be a reputable brand
Deal Addict
Jun 26, 2019
2130 posts
1854 upvotes
GTA
thatsnazzyiphoneguy wrote: i appreciate the time and effort int he detailed response. thank you.

I was thinking of getting these off amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Stainless-10-Inch ... 960&sr=8-3

stainless steel and dewalt seems to be a reputable brand
I think you'll find things are cheaper from CSR, even if you pay for shipping: https://csrbuilding.com/products/dewalt ... 2176&_ss=r

Also, remember that Dewalt is literally the exact same as Level 5, and if you're going to pay regular price for both, Level 5 is usually cheaper.

I also prefer the one piece knives because they are easier to clean, and crumbs dont get stuck between the handle and a the blade. This is more so an OCD thing, and in most cases those crumbs will be stuck forever and not end up in your mud.
Deal Addict
Oct 17, 2010
2059 posts
359 upvotes
SubjectivelyObjective wrote: I think you'll find things are cheaper from CSR, even if you pay for shipping: https://csrbuilding.com/products/dewalt ... 2176&_ss=r

Also, remember that Dewalt is literally the exact same as Level 5, and if you're going to pay regular price for both, Level 5 is usually cheaper.

I also prefer the one piece knives because they are easier to clean, and crumbs dont get stuck between the handle and a the blade. This is more so an OCD thing, and in most cases those crumbs will be stuck forever and not end up in your mud.
yeah im jsut a dewalt fanboy ;)

https://www.atlas-machinery.com/dewalt/dew-2-40x/

is that what u mean by one piece?
Deal Addict
Jun 26, 2019
2130 posts
1854 upvotes
GTA
thatsnazzyiphoneguy wrote: yeah im jsut a dewalt fanboy ;)

https://www.atlas-machinery.com/dewalt/dew-2-40x/

is that what u mean by one piece?
My skimming blades are technically dewalt, and some of my knives are dewalt as well, but I think I got them at 25% off which made them cheaper than Level 5.

I also get that matching is important Face With Tears Of Joy

Anyways, by one piece, if you see in your link, the handle and blade are one in the same. There is not joining of the two and there is no gap where the handle joins the blade. This makes it super easy to clean and stops stuff from building up where the joints are. I used to have marshalltown knives, which were great, however it annoyed me that the mud would get stuck between where the blade jointed the handle. Really as I said, all things considered, probably doesnt make much difference, in your lifetime maybe you get crumb in your mud and its annoying for 60 secs, but for me it was just a pita to clean.
Deal Addict
Oct 17, 2010
2059 posts
359 upvotes
SubjectivelyObjective wrote: My skimming blades are technically dewalt, and some of my knives are dewalt as well, but I think I got them at 25% off which made them cheaper than Level 5.

I also get that matching is important Face With Tears Of Joy

Anyways, by one piece, if you see in your link, the handle and blade are one in the same. There is not joining of the two and there is no gap where the handle joins the blade. This makes it super easy to clean and stops stuff from building up where the joints are. I used to have marshalltown knives, which were great, however it annoyed me that the mud would get stuck between where the blade jointed the handle. Really as I said, all things considered, probably doesnt make much difference, in your lifetime maybe you get crumb in your mud and its annoying for 60 secs, but for me it was just a pita to clean.
thanks! how do you get 25% off is their coupons for that site you recomended?

my last quesiton, the second link i gave you of the welded putty knife. i see on the label in the picture its called a joint knife. is that the stiffer ones? or still the flexiable one?

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