• Skip to content
  • Skip to site navigation
  • Skip to footer
  • Find a store
  • Quick order
  • Customer support
  • Ideas & Advice
  • Register
  • Sign in
B&Q - Home B&Q Customer Services Team - 0333 014 3357
  • 0 items in your basket Basket total £0.00
    Your mini basket
    View Basket Checkout
  • Outdoor & Garden
    Garden
    • Paving & walling
    • Decking
    • Stone, gravel & chippings
    • Watering, hoses & ponds
    • Outdoor lights
    • Turf & artificial grass
    • Plants, seeds & bulbs
    • Lawn & plant care
    • Exterior woodcare
    • Weatherproof sockets
    • Hand tools & equipment
    • Garden clearance
    Garden furniture
    • Sofas
    • Tables
    • Chairs
    • Garden furniture sets
    • Barbecues
    • Parasols
    • Gazebos
    • Hot tubs & spas
    • Garden play
    • Garden furniture paint
    Garden power tools
    • Lawnmowers
    • Pressure washers
    • Hedge trimmers
    • Chainsaws
    • Grass trimmers
    • Garden shredders
    • Scarifiers & tillers
    • Leaf blowers & vacs
    • Garden power accessories
    Sheds & garden storage
    • Sheds
    • Cabins
    • Summerhouses
    • Playhouses
    • Garden storage
    • ShelterLogic sheds
    • Greenhouses
    • Arches & arbours
    • Garage storage
    Fence panels & gates
    • Fence panels
    • Fence paint
    • Fence posts
    • Trellis & screening
    • Garden gates
    • Gate furniture
    • Gravel boards
    • Feather edge fence boards
    • Garden mesh & netting
    • Fence post support
  • Kitchen & Bathroom
    Kitchen
    • Fitted kitchens
    • Cabinets
    • Kitchen doors
    • Worktops
    • Appliances
    • Sinks
    • Taps
    • Storage & accessories
    • Bar stools
    • Bins
    • Kitchen clearance
    Bathrooms
    • Bathroom suites
    • Furniture & cabinets
    • Enclosures, doors & trays
    • Showers & accessories
    • Baths, panels & screens
    • Toilets
    • Basins
    • Bathroom taps
    • Bathroom accessories
    • Toilet seats
    • Bathroom wall panels
    Related categories
    • Flooring & tiling
    • Indoor lights
    • Towel radiators
    • Wet rooms
    • Underfloor heating
  • Home & Bedroom
    Home furnishings
    • Curtains & blinds
    • Curtain poles
    • Rugs & mats
    • Mirrors
    • Cushions & throws
    • Bedding
    • Wall art & picture frames
    • Home accessories
    • Candles & fragrance
    • Kids décor
    • Home clearance
    Bedroom furniture
    • Bedroom furniture ranges
    • Sliding wardrobe doors
    • Bedroom furniture sets
    • Create your own furniture
    • Wardrobes
    • Chest of drawers
    • Bedside tables
    • Beds & mattresses
    • Dressing tables & stools
    • Desks
    • Children's furniture
    • Storage solutions
    Storage & shelving
    • Storage boxes
    • Wall shelves & brackets
    • Storage cubes
    • Garage shelving & storage
    • Shelving systems
    • Storage trunks
    • Storage cabinets
    • Storage drawer units
    • Storage crates
    • Storage baskets
    • Clothes & shoe storage
    • Packaging
    Cleaning & laundry
    • Laundry airers
    • Cleaning products
    • Window & glass cleaning
    • Bins & bin liners
    • Vacuums & carpet cleaners
    • Brushes, brooms & mops
    • Laundry & ironing
    • Cloths & dusters
    • Sponges & scourers
    • Tissues & kitchen rolls
    • Gloves & body protection
  • Building & Hardware
    Building Supplies
    • Bricks & blocks
    • Aggregates & sand
    • Concrete & cement
    • Cement mixers
    • Roofing
    • Guttering & drainage
    • Plastering
    • Coving
    • Insulation & damp
    • Builder's metalwork
    • Sealants
    • Loft doors & hatches
    Timber & sheet materials
    • Constructional timber
    • Sheet materials
    • Finishing timber
    • Furniture board
    • Decorative mouldings
    • Skirting board
    • Architrave
    • Timber cladding
    • Loft boards
    • Door frames & trims
    • Scaffold boards
    • Stairs & stair parts
    Hardware
    • Screws
    • Handles & knobs
    • Hinges
    • Bolts, nuts & washers
    • Hooks & hangers
    • Brackets
    • Locks & padlocks
    • Furniture hardware
    • House numbers & plaques
    • Fixings & plugs
    • Nails
    • Ropes, bungees & chains
    Doors & Windows
    • Internal doors
    • External doors
    • Garage doors
    • Windows
    • Made to measure
    • Door locks & latches
    • Door frames & fixtures
    • Porches
    • Door clearance
  • Painting & Decorating
    Paint & wood treatments
    • Interior emulsion
    • Interior woodcare
    • Masonry paint
    • Exterior gloss & satin
    • Shed & fence paint
    • Garden furniture paint & treatment
    • Spray paint
    • Decking stains & oils
    • Metal paint
    • Specialist paint
    • Primer & undercoat
    • Decorating clearance
    Decorating tools & supplies
    • Paint brushes & sprayers
    • Paint rollers & tools
    • Wallpaper tools
    • Protective clothing, sheets & tools
    • Fillers, putty & caulk
    • Paint removers & cleaning
    • Sealants
    • Tapes
    • Sanding & abrasives
    • Glue & adhesives
    Wallpaper & wall coverings
    • Wallpaper
    • Lining paper
    • Murals
    • Stickers
    • Wallpaper borders
    • Self adhesive wallpaper
    • Sticky back plastic
  • Tools & Equipment
    Power tools
    • Drills
    • Saws
    • Sanders
    • Angle grinders
    • Power tool accessories
    • Kits & twinpacks
    • Screwdrivers
    • Nail guns
    • Routers
    • Planers
    • Multi tools & hobby tools
    • Impact drivers & wrenches
    Hand tools
    • Sawing
    • Spanners & wrenches
    • Hammers & demolition
    • Tool kits
    • Screwdrivers & keys
    • Levels & measuring
    • Trowels, hawks & floats
    • Knives & blades
    • Planes, chisels & files
    • Vices & clamps
    • Pliers & cutters
    • Blow torches & soldering
    Equipment
    • Tool storage
    • Ladders & steps
    • Safety & workwear
    • Site equipment
    • Vacuums & cleaners
    • Car care & maintenance
    • Torches & work lights
    • Tarpaulin, sheets & sacks
    • Garden power tools
    • Garden hand tools
  • Lighting & Electrical
    Lighting
    • Indoor lights
    • Outdoor lights
    • Ceiling lights
    • Outdoor wall lights
    • Indoor wall lights
    • Floor lamps
    • Light bulbs
    • Lamp shades
    • Spotlights & downlights
    • Light fixtures & fittings
    • Light switches & dimmers
    Electrical
    • Cable
    • Cable management
    • Consumer units
    • Mounting boxes
    • Junction & cable connectors
    • Electrical tools & supplies
    • Cable reels & extension leads
    • Plugs
    • Fuses
    • RCD plugs
    Home electrical
    • Switches & sockets
    • Outdoor switches & sockets
    • Timers & controllers
    • TV brackets
    • TV aerials & accessories
    • Door bells
    • Data networking
    • Telephones & accessories
    • Mobile & tablet accessories
    • Batteries & chargers
    Safety & security
    • CCTV & surveillance
    • Burglar alarms
    • Fire, heat & co alarms
    • Safes
    • Key safes & cash boxes
    • Security lighting
    • Door locks & latches
    • Cable & bike locks
    • Childrens' safety
    • Smoke alarms
    • Carbon monoxide alarms
    • Fire extinguishers
    Smart home
    • Smart alarms
    • Smart cameras
    • Smart door locks
    • Smart heating
    • Smart smoke alarms
    • Smart switches & sockets
    • Smart plugs
  • Tiling & Flooring
    Flooring
    • Laminate
    • Luxury vinyl click
    • Sheet vinyl
    • Vinyl tiles
    • Solid wood
    • Engineered wood
    • Vinyl planks
    • Carpet tiles
    • Carpet
    • Flooring samples
    • Flooring clearance
    Tiling
    • Wall tiles
    • Floor tiles
    • Mosaic & border tiles
    • Wall & floor tiles
    • Bathroom tiles
    • Kitchen tiles
    • Outdoor tiles
    • Decking tiles
    • Tile ranges
    • Tiling clearance
    Accessories
    • Underlay
    • Floor paint & varnish
    • Scotias & floor trims
    • Skirting & architrave
    • Underfloor heating
    • Tiling trims
    • Grout & adhesive
    • Tile paint
    • Floor & tile cleaner
    Tools
    • Tile cutters
    • Power saws
    • Drills
    • Hand saws
    • Paddle mixers
    • Levels & measuring
    • Mallets
    • Grout spreaders
  • Heating & Plumbing
    Radiators
    • Central heating radiators
    • Towel radiators
    • Column radiators
    • Designer radiators
    • Electric radiators
    • Oil filled radiators
    • Vertical radiators
    • Cast iron radiators
    • Mirror radiators
    • Heating elements
    • Radiator valves
    • Radiator covers
    Fires, stoves & portable heating
    • Fires
    • Stoves
    • Fireplace suites
    • Fireplace surrounds
    • Portable heating
    • Companion sets
    • Fire screens & guards
    • Logs & firewood
    • Coal buckets & baskets
    • Fireplace accessories
    • Fireplace maintenance
    Plumbing
    • Wastes & fittings
    • Pipe
    • Pipe fittings
    • Valves & stopcocks
    • Plumbing tools
    • Cold water tanks
    • Water filters & softeners
    • Macerators
    • Soil pipes
    • Underground drainage
    • Channel drainage
    • Guttering
    Central heating
    • Boilers, flues & parts
    • Central heating controls
    • Underfloor heating
    • Hot water cylinders
    • Smart heating
    • Pipe insulation
    • Pumps
    • Water heaters
    • Treatments
    Air treatment
    • Air conditioners
    • Cooling fans
    • Dehumidifiers
    • Extractor fans
    • Ceiling fans
    • Vents & grills
    • Ducting
  • Clearance
    Home & Garden Clearance
    • Outdoor & garden
    • Lighting
    • Kitchen
    • Home
    • Decorating
    • Christmas
    • Bathroom
    • Flooring & tiling
    • Storage
    DIY & Building Clearance
    • Tools
    • Heating
    • Doors & windows
    • Building
    • Hardware
    • Electrical & security
  • Home
  • Ideas & Advice
  • Outdoor & Garden
  • Garden buildings & fencing
  • Building & landscaping tools buying guide
  • Printthis page

Building & landscaping tools buying guide

Introduction

Do you know your pointing hawk from your pointing trowel? What about bolster chisels, club hammers and long bars? Building and landscape gardening comes with a whole catalogue of specialist tools - so if you're going to do the job, make sure you get the right ones.

General purpose tools

Building and landscaping tools

A selection of general purpose tools will be helpful in a wide range of projects. This guide suggests some of the most versatile, and the tasks they can be used for.

Bucket

Choose a sturdy one, preferably with measurements marked inside. Buckets are invaluable for a huge range of tasks, from cleaning and tidying out of doors to measuring, mixing and moving cements and mortars.

Shop buckets

Electrical extension lead

Essential when using power tools without a nearby power point. Keep your extension reel away from water and if the electrical load is heavy, unwind the reel so that the wires don’t overheat. Also ensure that you choose one suitable for outdoor use with RCD protection.

Shop extension leads

Garden rake

A common garden tool, rakes are useful for levelling surfaces as well as smoothing and spreading sand, gravel and mulch in to place.

Shop rakes

Laser level

Extremely useful when building a fence or garden wall, a laser level will accurately extend a level line over long distances.

Shop laser levels

Straightedge

Any straight piece of rigid and easy-to-handle timber will make a good straightedge. This can be used for a range of tasks from planning and marking out brickwork to laying out flower and vegetable beds.

Tape measure (30m)

An extra-long tape measure is essential for jobs like fencing or building a garden wall.

Shop tape measures

Wheelbarrow

For heavyweight tasks, such as moving rubble or sand, you'll need a robust builders' wheelbarrow. An ordinary lightweight garden wheelbarrow won't be strong enough.

Shop wheelbarrows

Breaking & digging tools

Using the right tools for digging and breaking ground will help to make light work of the task in hand.

Club hammer

Use a club hammer for small-scale demolition work, or for jobs like driving lightweight posts into the ground.

Shop club hammers

Long bar

A long bar is good for prising, levering and also breaking up surfaces.

Pickaxe

Break up ground with a pickaxe or long bar rather than a spade or shovel, especially if there’s buried rubble and rocks.

Post-hole borer

Use this to make neat holes in the ground for fence and gate posts.

Shop post-hole borers

Shovel

The curved edges of a shovel make it ideal for moving aggregates as well as mixing and shifting mortar or concrete.

Shop shovels

Sledgehammer

This is the tool for smashing up hardcore or slabs, and is also good for driving in fence posts and stakes.

Shop sledgehammers

Spade

Dig holes and trenches with a spade, rather than a shovel. A steel alloy spade is good, but stainless steel is best.

Shop spades

Brick & block laying tools

Laying bricks and blocks requires specialist tools which will help you to achieve a professional finish. Our guide will help you to select the appropriate tools for the job.

Bolster chisel (100mm)

Use to cut bricks and concrete blocks, as well as for general levering.

Shop chisels

Bricklayer’s trowel

Tradesmen tend to prefer trowels with longer length blades, but you might find it easier to use a shorter one to begin with. Bricklayer's trowels are invaluable for any kind of brick or block laying.

Shop trowels

Builder’s float

For finishing concrete to a smooth surface or applying render and plaster to walls.

Builder’s line and pins

This nylon line is an essential guide for lining up and maintaining a level when building a structure of blocks or bricks.

Shop measuring lines

Cement mixer

If you’re concreting or mixing mortar on a large scale, buy or hire a cement mixer. These ensure that the concrete or mortar is thoroughly mixed to the right consistency. Be sure to wash the drum thoroughly after use.

Shop cement mixers

Cold chisel

Used for cutting through masonry by striking it with a club hammer. Choose one with a plastic safety sleeve to protect your hand from misplaced hammer blows.

Shop chisels

Jointing tool

Used to shape neat mortar joints in brickwork, and also to rake out old mortar ready for repointing.

Shop jointing tools

Pointing hawk

This lightweight handheld platform is ideal for carrying small quantities of mortar to the wall when pointing.

Shop pointing hawks

Pointing trowel

This small-bladed trowel (between 75mm and 100mm long) is handy for repairing and shaping mortar joints in bricks.

Shop trowels

Soft short-handled brush

A hand brush with soft bristles is perfect for finishing off mortared joints in bricks and stone.

Articles

Sub navigation

  • Articles
    • How to build a pergola
    • How to build a brick planter
    • How to repair a wooden fence
    • How to put up a panel fence
    • How to install a gate
    • How to plan a garden wall
    • How to lay the foundations for a garden wall
    • How to repair & build a brick garden wall
    • How to build a stone garden wall
    • Building & landscaping tools buying guide
    • Nails, screws & wall plugs buying guide
    • Brick & stone buying guide
    • Fence & railing buying guide
    • Gate buying guide
    • How to put up a panel fence
    • How to repair a wooden fence
    • How to paint a wooden shed or fence
    • How to install a gate
    • How to plan a garden wall
    • How to lay the foundations for a garden wall
    • How to build a stone garden wall
    • How to repair & build a brick garden wall
    • How to build a brick planter
    • How to build garden steps
    • How to build a pergola
    • How to build a greenhouse
    • How to build a shed base
    • How to build a wooden playhouse
    • How to build a wooden shed
    • Fence & railing buying guide
    • Gate buying guide
    • Brick & stone buying guide
    • Building & landscaping tools buying guide
    • Greenhouse buying guide
    • Shed buying guide
    • All about Neva
Back to top

Footer links

Social links

Follow us:
Follow us on Pintrest
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Watch us on Youtube
  • Business

    • B&Q Corporate Homepage
    • Careers . This link opens in a new window
    • Media Centre . This link opens in a new window
    • One Planet Home
    • Modern Slavery Act . This link opens in a new window
    • Business Services
    • Affiliate program
    • Carrier bags
    • B&Q Ireland . This link opens in a new window
    • Black Friday at B&Q
  • Services

    • B&Q Club
    • B&Q Finance
    • B&Q Gift Cards
    • Design appointment
    • Bathroom planning tool
    • B&Q van hire
    • B&Q Bulk Delivery
  • Products

    • Ratings & Reviews
    • B&Q apps
    • Product Information
    • Product recalls & safety notices
    • Health & safety data sheets
  • Help & Support

    • Ideas & Advice
    • Customer support
    • Home delivery
    • Click + Collect
    • Returns & refunds
    • Brochures
    • Store finder
  • Partner Sites

    • AnyJunk rubbish removal
    • California Shutters
    • Spacepro Made to Measure Wardrobes
    • TradePoint . This link opens in a new window
  • © B&Q
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Sitemap
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.