A spreading apparatus is provided for spreading flowable materials such as adhesives and / or sealants on a surface such as a floor and / or a wall. The apparatus has a pad
retainer for retaining a removable spreader pad and a reservoir chamber for flowable material pivotally attached to the pad
retainer to permit pivoting of the reservoir chamber frontwards and backwards. The reservoir chamber has an adjustable gate through which the flowable material may exit. The gate is proximal the bottom of the reservoir chamber and complementary to the width of the pad retaining means to permit more uniform spreading of the flowable material. A
handle is attached to and extends from the reservoir chamber. The
handle may pivot from side to side on the reservoir chamber and may be hollow to house a cable associated with the means for opening the gate. A
system is also provided involving the spreading apparatus together with a removable spreader pad and a container containing the flowable material. The container is housed in the reservoir chamber and cooperates with the gate to permit the flowable material to exit the container and the reservoir chamber when the gate is open. The spreader pad comprises an elongated resilient foam member sufficiently thick to fit within and frictionally engage the pad
retainer, and sufficiently high to extend below the pad retainer so that the spreader pad rather than the pad retainer contacts the surface when the spreader pad is retained by the pad retainer.