I still think hand troweling beats power trowels for small slabs

Been finishing concrete for about 12 years now. On a 12x12 patio last week in St. Louis I used a power trowel and got a decent finish but it just didn't have that same tightness as hand work. Power trowels leave tiny swirl marks if you don't catch them right. Hand troweling gives me way more control over edges and corners without bringing in a separate edger. I know most guys swear by power trowels for speed but for residential work under 300 square feet I'll take hand work any day. Anyone else find power trowels overkill for small jobs?

2 comments

2 Comments

skylershah13d ago

Walnut Hill's humidity that day means the power trowel's blade pressure gets tricky compared to hand finishing.

wren30113d ago

12x12 is not even 150 square feet man, you could have had that slab done and hand troweled in the time it took to drag out and clean a power trowel.