Why does nobody talk about hand troweling vs power troweling for small slabs

I did a 300 sq ft patio last month near Austin and used a power trowel like usual. Came back two weeks later and the edges were cupping bad. Redid it with a hand trowel and magnesium float and the finish came out way flatter. Has anyone else seen power trowels mess up smaller pours like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_julia1mo ago

Whoa wait, you're saying it cupped that bad?! That's wild. I've always heard power trowels can trap air or something on small jobs but never saw it in person like that.

hill.hugo1mo ago

Wait, you're saying it actually cupped that bad in just two weeks? That's insane, I've never heard of power trowels doing that on a small slab.

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