Trowels, putty knives and floats in Montenegro: prices of bricklaying and plastering trowels, notched trowels, sponge floats and mortar tubs (2026)
On 29 September 2026 trowels, putty knives and finishing trowels cost from €0.45 for a Schuller PVC notched spreader at Okov to €16.15 for a 480 mm Ciret stainless float at KIPS, with a median of €4.78 across 124 tools from two shops. Trowels have a median of €5.19, flat finishing trowels €6.49, notched trowels €5.99, floats and sponge floats €4.99, putty knives €3.25 and mortar tubs €5.00.
A trowel and a finishing trowel are the first tools for bricklaying, plastering, skimming and tiling, and for a bigger job in a flat you can send a free request on Glatko, without an account, for construction and renovation work or painting work. Below are prices by type and shop, which notch to use for which tile, how to look after the tools and what the EU list of waste says about leftover mortar and tiles.
What people search for
On 29 September 2026 Google Trends returned no data for our query, so we do not give a trend here.
On 29 September 2026 Google completed mistrija (trowel) with za zidanje (for bricklaying), cena (price), i fangla (and mortar tub), za fugne (for grout), za uglove (for corners), za lepak (for adhesive), za fasadu (for facades), za pločice (for tiles), za malterisanje (for plastering) and za gletovanje (for skimming), špahtla (putty knife) with za struganje (for scraping), za gletovanje, za silikon (for silicone), za uglove and za fugovanje (for grouting), gletarica (finishing trowel) with okov, za beton (for concrete), za lepak, za keramiku (for ceramics) and za fugovanje, and fangla (mortar tub) with za malter (for mortar), plastična (plastic), za beton and ili vangla (or tub). So people look for a tool for a specific job: corners, grout, adhesive and skimming, not just "a trowel".
Prices by type
How we choose and label price sources is explained in how we measure prices.
| Service | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Trowel(piece) | €2.89–€8.99 | 28 pieces, median 5.19 |
| Flat finishing trowel(piece) | €2.9–€12.99 | 19 pieces, median 6.49 |
| Notched trowel and spreader(piece) | €0.45–€7.5 | 17 pieces, median 5.99 |
| Float and sponge float(piece) | €2.57–€16.15 | 11 pieces, median 4.99 |
| Putty knife(piece) | €0.65–€13.69 | 41 pieces, median 3.25 |
| Mortar tub(piece) | €0.72–€8.99 | 8 pieces, median 5.00 |
Source: Okov and KIPS, prices read on 29.09.2026. N = 76 at Okov and 48 at KIPS; excluding spare sponges and plates, tiler sets and car-body and wallpaper spatulas; medians are ours.
Tools at Okov
At Okov we took 76 tools from eight searches; the median is €5.24. A 180 mm polished steel trowel costs €3.10, a narrow 160 mm W.best €3.49, Schuller plastering trowels from 50 to 120 mm from €4.39 to €5.79, a 160 mm Schuller €6.79 and a 180 mm one €6.99, and a 180 mm Kaufmann bricklaying trowel €7.99. A Schuller internal corner trowel costs €6.99 and a rounded Kapriol PROGRIP €8.99.
Finishing trowels cost €2.90 for a 28 x 14 cm Schuller PVC one, from €5.99 to €7.99 for steel and stainless 280 x 130 mm ones, and €12.99 for a 48 cm Schuller Swiss trowel. Notched trowels cost €4.50 and €4.90 for S. Trend, €5.99 for Rubi and €7.29 for stainless Schuller, and notched adhesive spreaders from €1.39 to €1.49. Putty knives cost from €1.19 to €6.49, Japanese spatula sets €1.35 and €1.59, Workers Best grout spatulas €7.49, and mortar tubs from €2.69 for a Reflex PVC one to €8.99 for Stubai.
Tools at KIPS
At KIPS we took 48 tools from six searches; the median is €4.13. Ciret trowels from 60 to 160 mm cost from €2.89 to €4.39, and Mimont steel trowels, a 160 mm flat one and a 200 mm rounded one, €4.11 each. Ciret finishing trowels cost €4.35 and €4.65 for PVC ones, €5.95 with a PVC handle and €6.59 with a wooden handle, and notched ones from 4 x 4 to 10 x 10 mm €6.15 each.
Floats cost €2.57 for a large Mimont PVC one, €5.65 for PU, €6.55 with a sponge, €7.29 for smoothing plaster and €16.15 for a 480 mm stainless one. Plain Ciret putty knives cost from €0.65 to €1.05, plastic ones from €2.39 to €4.15, riveted stainless Mimont ones from €2.26 to €4.65, facade spatulas from €4.15 to €13.69, and a grout-application spatula €12.49. A Mimont PVC mortar tub costs €0.72 and a steel one €6.21.
Which notch for which tile
A notched trowel spreads adhesive in even ridges, and the notch size depends on the tile: a smaller notch from 4 to 6 mm for mosaic and small wall tiles, 8 mm for ordinary wall and floor tiles, and 10 to 12 mm for large floor tiles and uneven substrates. With large tiles the adhesive is also spread on the back, so that no void is left underneath.
A flat finishing trowel is for skimming and levelling adhesive and plaster, a sponge float for the final finish of plaster, and a rubber one for pressing in grout. A trowel carries mortar to the wall, and a putty knife is for puttying, scraping old paint and filling cracks.
Alongside the tools, see our guides to tile adhesive and grout, skim coat, tiler prices per m2 and concrete and mortar mixers.
How to choose and look after the tools
Stainless trowels and finishing trowels do not rust and stay flat longer, so they are better for skimming, where any rust or dent leaves a mark on the wall. A cheap steel trowel is enough for bricklaying and mixing mortar, and a PVC finishing trowel for grout and decorative plasters. The handle should be firmly riveted and should not slip in a wet hand.
Wash the tools straight after work, before mortar, adhesive and skim coat harden, and do not leave them in water overnight. Hardened mortar is hard to remove and damages the edge of a finishing trowel, and a bent edge leaves ridges that later show under paint.
What the EU list of waste says about leftover mortar and tiles
Commission Decision 2014/955/EU replaced the annex to Decision 2000/532/EC and applies from 1 June 2015. In group 17 01, concrete has code 17 01 01, bricks 17 01 02, tiles and ceramics 17 01 03, and mixtures of them without hazardous substances 17 01 07. Mixed construction waste without hazardous substances has code 17 09 04.
Codes with an asterisk, such as 17 01 06 and 17 09 03, mark waste containing hazardous substances, which is considered hazardous waste. Montenegro is not an EU member, but leftover adhesive, mortar and broken tiles should not be poured down the drain or put in the household bin; take them away as construction waste. There is more on this in our article on wall demolition and rubble removal.
On Glatko
On 28 September 2026 Glatko had 23 construction and renovation providers (Podgorica 13, Budva 3, Bar 3, Tivat 2, Kotor 1, Herceg Novi 1) and 6 painters (Podgorica 3, Tivat 1, Budva 1, Bar 1).
What to check before buying
- Purpose: bricklaying, skimming, tiling or grouting.
- Notch: from 4 to 12 mm according to tile size.
- Material: stainless for skim coat, PVC for grout, steel for bricklaying.
- A straight edge: without dents or rust.
- The handle: firmly riveted and comfortable.
How we measured and what we did not
We copied prices from Okov and KIPS on the day of the check; we calculated the medians ourselves. We did not count spare sponges and plates, tiler sets with a bucket, car-body and wallpaper spatulas, kitchen and garden spatulas and screeding rules. We took type and dimensions from product names. We did not measure blade thickness, edge flatness or handle strength.
Frequently asked questions
From €2.89 to €8.99, median €5.19.