Concrete Finishing Tips

Glossy professional concrete finish requires a trowel. Trowels are used in the final step to smooth out freshly poured concrete and also bring out water to the surface of the concrete. It gives a smooth and even finish to the freshly poured concrete on exterior and interior floors. Manual and power trowels are available depending on the project. Read further for more information on power trowels.

The power trowels are mostly electric but there are also ICE (internal combustion engine) trowels available. There are different sizes and shapes of power trowel blade that range from 24"- 48" and is determined by the type of project. The blade is named after the work stage it is used for like floating and or finish. The blade ensures the concrete surface becomes smooth, when handled properly.

​Not many people are familiar with concrete trowels as they are with let's say chainsaws or jackhammers, but they are none the less a common used tool when handling concrete. Power trowels are not only used for concrete finishing but are also effective a polishing machines creating smooth reflective and durable surface with minimal effort from traditional grinding. However, it's main purpose is for smoothing out concrete.

A power trowel can consist of one or multiple rotating blades enclosed by safety cage. This type of equipment is used to create a polished and level finish on the concrete surface. There are a floating, finishing and or a combination of blades are used for the desired result.

The size of the equipment will be determined by the size and layout of the surface that will be worked on. Concrete trowels are not all built the same and you must choose the one that fits your needs. Small projects use a manual trowel and you need to be quick when working with a concrete trowel because concrete hardens quickly. Larger projects that have concrete slabs of 1000 sq. ft. or more can use a trowel with 24-26 inch blades to smooth the concrete. Here, you can use a combined blade to float and finish or do it separately.

Anything bigger than 1000 square feet, it is recommended to use a ride-on concrete trowel. They do the job much quicker than hand pushed concrete trowels. This will ensure that you will have enough time to finish before the concrete hardens.

Concrete work is all about timing. Should you pour or finish the concrete under wrong conditions, then the project can be ruined. Coordinate the project properly and make sure the weather is dry and warm when working with concrete. Cold and wet conditions will affect the curing process and possibly ruin the concrete.