Unpopular opinion: hand troweling is better than power troweling for small slabs

I was finishing a 10x12 patio in Portland last month and my power trowel battery died halfway through. Grabbed a hand trowel and honestly the surface came out flatter with less chatter marks. Am I crazy or do power tools just add problems on tight jobs?

2 comments

2 Comments

mila_jones3912h ago

Yeah the "tight jobs" thing is exactly it. I did a 8x10 slab last week and my power trowel just felt clumsy in the corners. Hand troweling gave me way more control and the finish was actually smoother.

diana5510h ago

You know, that bit about the finish being smoother is what gets me. I've been doing this 23 years and I swear hand troweling in tight spots gives you a way better result than any machine can. My power trowel just bogs down and leaves those tiny chatter marks. Hand finishing lets me feel the concrete set up and work it just right. Plus it saves me the headache of cleaning the machine blades all the time. But that's just my experience, your results might be different.