I finally went back to hand troweling after 10 years of power trowels

Last month I was finishing a small patio in Columbus, about 400 square feet, and my power trowel broke down 20 minutes in. I was furious at first, but I grabbed my hand trowels and just went old school. By the time I was done, I realized I had a better finish than I get with the machine on most jobs. The edges were cleaner, the surface had that tight look you can only get from working it by hand. I spent the next three days on a garage floor, same method, and the customer actually asked what I did different. I think we get too dependent on power tools and forget the basics. Has anyone else found that hand work gives you a better result in certain situations?

3 comments

3 Comments

sarahhart1mo ago

Honestly, aren't you just spending way more time on smaller jobs that way though? Ngl, a power trowel saves my back and cuts my work in half, and I can get a good finish if I take my time with it.

king.lisa1mo ago

Trust me, for small jobs I can do it faster and better by hand than dragging out the big machine.

charlesowens1mo ago

Thing is, my back is already wrecked from 20 years of lugging bags of concrete around, so honestly whats a few more hours hunched over with a trowel? I swear I look like a question mark by the end of a hand finished job. But I get what you mean about the clean edges and that tight skin on the surface. Power trowels are great for speed but they can leave that little wavy washboard ripple if you aren't perfect with them. Hand work forces you to slow down and really feel the concrete setting up. You ever try a magnesium float on a hot day? Now that's a real test of patience.