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?

2 comments

2 Comments

sarahhart4d agoRising Star

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.lisa4d ago

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