Onthetrowel

The creator behind Onthetrowel is Kirk Johnstone, a working plasterer based in the United Kingdom. He named the channel after the trowel — the signature hand tool of any plasterer — as a straightforward nod to his trade.

Kirk started the channel primarily to leave a personal record for his family, inspired by how much he treasures the handful of stories and photos he has of his own grandfather. Alongside that personal motivation, the channel grew into a mix of day-to-day work vlogs, plastering tips, and colourful tradesman stories.

One of Kirk's standout videos walks through how to create the look of solid oak beams using plaster techniques — a job he prices at around £700 a day. The method delivers a high-end rustic aesthetic at a fraction of the cost of real timber, making it popular with homeowners mid-renovation.

Yes — one of Kirk's most-watched videos is titled "He Tried To SCAM ME But I Found Out!" where he recounts a customer attempting to defraud him on a job. Difficult-client and tradesman-scam stories are a recurring theme on his channel, and they resonate strongly with his largely male, working-age audience of fellow tradespeople.

Kirk put out a video offering to render a metal house for free — framed as an unusual challenge job that would make compelling content while showcasing his skills on a non-standard surface. Taking on unconventional or disaster-level projects is a defining part of what separates his channel from straightforward plastering tutorials.

In "Accidentally Wrecked My Bathroom / COSTLY MISTAKE," Kirk documents a job gone seriously wrong in his own home, showing that experienced plasterers are not immune to expensive errors. His willingness to film his own failures alongside his successes is a big reason his audience trusts him.

Kirk's video "This Man Is A Genius / Cover Steel Beams Like This!" walks through techniques for cladding or plastering over exposed structural steel for a clean, attractive finish. This kind of practical renovation problem-solving sits at the heart of his content and draws in both professional tradesmen and serious DIYers.

Kirk has partnered with Surfshark, Incogni Inc., AG1, Holy, and carVertical for sponsored content on YouTube. The mix of privacy tools, health supplements, and a vehicle-history platform reflects a broad audience that extends well beyond the plastering trade.

Kirk Johnstone is based in the United Kingdom, where he works as a professional plasterer. Despite the very local nature of his trade, his YouTube channel draws a notably global audience with significant viewership from the United States, India, and Brazil alongside the UK.

Yes — less than a fifth of Kirk's YouTube audience comes from the UK itself, with his largest viewer base actually in the United States, followed by India and Brazil. His practical renovation content, scam stories, and disaster-fix videos appear to travel well across different building traditions and languages.