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Putting Putty Knives to Work

An underutilized tool in many paint projects, the putty knife comes in different sizes and types and does more than apply putty. Educate your customers on the different uses for putty knives and carry a variety of putty knives to provide a good selection for customers to choose from. 

  • Flexible or stiff blade. The Hyde Flexible Black & Silver® Putty Knife comes in several sizes, and the flexible blade applies compounds and putty deep into holes, cracks and crevices, while the Hyde Stiff Black & Silver® Chisel Putty Knife gets under paint and dried putty for easier removal. 
  • Straight edge and angled edge blade. Warner Tools offers a straight edge and angled edge version of its putty knife that gets into corners and other hard-to-reach areas. 
  • Made of plastic, carbon steel, stainless steel or brass. Marshalltown putty knives include plastic versions, as well as stainless steel blades with nylon, rosewood and soft grip handles. 
  • Blade widths from ¾” to 6″ wide. The collection of putty knives from Purdy includes 1 ½ inch, 2 inch and 2 ½ inch versions. 

Uses for Putty Knives

  • Apply putty or surfacing compound into cracks and nail holes
  • Use as a paint guard
  • Patch divots with wood filler
  • Spread drywall mud
  • Safely remove baseboards and trim
  • Scrape old paint, putty, wallpaper and more

About Lindsey Thompson

Lindsey joined the NHPA staff in 2021 as an associate editor for Hardware Retailing magazine. A native of Ohio, Lindsey earned a B.S. in journalism and minors in business and sociology from Ohio University. She loves spending time with her husband, two kids, two cats and one dog, as well as doing DIY projects around the house, going to concerts, boating and cheering on the Cleveland Indians.

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