Pro tip: I stopped using a power trowel on every single pour and it saved a job in Memphis.

We were finishing a 40 yard driveway slab last spring, and the mix was coming in really wet. My partner fired up the power trowel right away like we always do. I saw it start to pull up water and leave a rough, open surface. I told him to shut it off and we hand-floated the whole thing first to push the cream up. It added an hour, but the finish was perfect. When do you guys decide to skip the machine and go straight to hand tools?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_keith2mo ago

Ever try a magnesium float first? That thing can push cream up without pulling water like a power trowel can. Lets you get a good seal before you even think about the machine.

eric_murphy361mo ago

Jumped the gun on a pour once without using a mag float first and ended up with a surface that looked like a topographical map of the moon. Troweled it too early, pulled all the water up, and spent the next hour trying to fix my own mess. Learned my lesson real quick. Now I'm out there with the mag float for a solid five minutes like I'm buffing a car, just making sure that cream comes up nice and even. Still mess it up sometimes though, but at least now it's only like a 30 minute fix instead of a full day.

harper9082mo ago

Yeah, @the_keith, I always hit it with a mag float for a good five minutes first. It really does set up a better surface for the power trowel later on.

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