DeWalt 13 in. x 5 in. Gold Stainless Steel Stucco Finishing Trowel

My stucco kit always includes a 13-by-5 trowel, and DeWalt’s stainless option earned a spot after a week of exterior patching and a full finish coat on a garage facade. I’m not interested in flashy looks, but the gold stainless blade does stand out—and more importantly, it behaves the way a finishing trowel should: predictable flex, clean edges, and minimal drag.

Build and design

The blade is a heat-treated stainless steel that’s been precision ground. In practice, that means two things: it resists the tea-colored discoloration and pitting you get when lime and cement water sit on a blade too long, and it arrives with a consistently flat face. The blade on my sample was true along its length with only the slight factory “crown” I like for finishing—enough spring to feather, not so much that it bridges and leaves ridges.

DeWalt uses welded surface rivets and a precision-bent tang to tie blade and handle together. The welded rivets keep the working face very smooth; there are no proud rivet heads telegraphing through when you’re slicking down a finish. The tang geometry lets the blade flex in a controlled way: it loads at the center and releases smoothly toward the corners, which is what you want for texture control and feathering edges into existing work.

Fit and finish out of the box were tidy. The edges were straight and the corners were lightly eased—enough to reduce gouging without sacrificing crispness when I needed to ride a line. If you prefer more rounding, a few passes with 220-grit will get you there.

In the hand

At 13 inches long and 5 inches wide, this is a nimble trowel. The balance point sits just ahead of the handle, so it doesn’t feel nose-heavy with a full load. For tight returns, door trims, and patch work, the narrower 5-inch width is an asset: it carries a respectable amount of material without feeling unwieldy in close quarters.

The soft-grip plastic handle is comfortable over a long day. It’s not spongy, and the contour is neutral enough for different grip styles—pistol or choked up near the tang for finer control. The no-turn lock works as advertised; the handle stayed aligned even when I torqued on it to push out air pockets on a hardening color coat. I did notice that with wet, sandy mixes, the plastic can get a touch slick; textured gloves solved that, but it’s something to keep in mind if you usually run bare-handed or prefer the tactility of wood.

On the wall

I used this trowel for three main tasks: feathering brown-coat patches, closing up a color coat with a light steel trowel finish, and tight work around window returns. The standout trait was the blade’s polish and how little it dragged once the surface started to close. Stainless can sometimes skate too much and burnish prematurely; this blade found a good middle ground. It had just enough bite early, then transitioned to a smooth glide as I brought water to the surface.

Flex is where this size shines. With the precision-bent tang, I could put a subtle camber into the blade by adjusting hand pressure. For patch tie-ins, that let me blend edges without leaving tracks. On larger, flatter runs, the 13-inch length kept me honest; it’s not a 16-inch field trowel, but it’s accurate and easier to keep flat when working over uneven scratch coats.

Corner performance was controlled. The lightly eased tips reduced accidental scoring when I rolled the trowel to pick up lines, and the hardened edge held up against sanded mixes. After several days, the edge still felt true—no burrs or wavy spots that can telegraph into the finish.

Durability and maintenance

Stainless is about longevity and low maintenance, and this blade delivered. After leaving it dirty longer than I should have (twice), there was no rust bloom, and the surface didn’t pick up the brown staining that carbon steel develops with lime-rich water. The heat-treated “gold” finish isn’t just for looks—it shrugged off fine scratches better than typical mirror finishes, which helps maintain glide.

The welded rivets and tang showed no signs of loosening. A no-turn handle that actually doesn’t turn sounds basic, but if you’ve ever had a handle rotate on a tough pull, you know why the lock matters. Cleanup was easy: a bucket rinse, a soft brush for the heel, and it was ready to rack. I avoid metal scrapers on stainless; a plastic scraper is plenty if material has set up, and it keeps the blade face smooth.

Edge retention was solid. I didn’t need to rework the edge during the review period, and it never developed hot spots that burnish unevenly. Expect the usual short break-in period—stainless takes a couple of jobs to “season”—but this one felt cooperative from day one.

Where it fits in a kit

This DeWalt stucco trowel sits in the sweet spot between patch tool and full-field finisher. It’s ideal for:

• Exterior patching and tie-ins where control matters
• Window and door returns, soffits, and other tight runs
• Closing up brown and color coats on small to mid-size areas
• Finish work where you want stainless glide without babying the blade

If I’m running big, flat expanses all day, I still reach for a longer 14–16 inch trowel to maximize coverage and keep courses straighter. But for most residential tasks and remodel work, the 13-by-5 format is efficient and less fatiguing.

Compared to carbon steel, the stainless blade requires less fussing to keep rust-free and is less likely to stain a light finish. Compared to ultra-flex “blue” blades, it’s stiffer and more predictable on rough base coats, with enough spring for finishing without feeling flimsy.

Drawbacks

No tool is perfect. A few notes from use:

• Size: For large, open walls, 13 inches feels a bit small. You’ll make more passes compared to a 16-inch trowel.
• Handle material: The soft-grip plastic is comfortable, but it can get slick with wet, sandy mixes. If you love the tactile feedback of wood, this won’t convert you.
• Break-in: Like most stainless, it improves after the first couple of jobs. It’s good out of the box, but great after a short seasoning.

None of these were dealbreakers for me; they’re trade-offs tied to the tool’s size and material choices.

Warranty and value

The 1-year manufacturer warranty and 90-day return window are in line with what I expect for a pro-focused hand tool. More importantly, the build quality suggests you’ll get several years out of it with normal care. You’re paying for stainless longevity, a trued blade, and a handle/tang assembly that stays tight—and that’s what you get.

Recommendation

I recommend this DeWalt stucco trowel for anyone who needs a reliable, rust-resistant finisher with controlled flex in a compact size. It balances well, the blade stays true, and the welded, no-turn handle assembly inspires confidence under load. If your day is dominated by big, flat runs, pair it with a longer trowel for production work. For patching, finishing, and the countless in-between tasks on residential stucco jobs, this 13-by-5 feels like the right tool more often than not.