Heard a guy at the supply house say he never uses a power trowel on a garage floor

I was picking up some fiber mesh in Tacoma last week and this older finisher was telling his buddy he only hand floats garage slabs. He said power trowels just burn the cream off too fast and leave a weak surface that dusts up in a year. I've always used my power trowel for everything, but now I'm second guessing. I did a two-car garage about eight months ago and the homeowner just called about some dusting near the door. Has anyone else tried skipping the power trowel on a full pour and just gone by hand? How much longer did it add to your day?

2 comments

2 Comments

barbara_hall92d ago

Yeah, had to do that once when my trowel broke down.

kai_owens1d ago

I mean, I get the idea but I've done hundreds of garages with a power trowel and never had a dusting problem. You just have to time it right and not hit it too early. Skipping it and going by hand sounds like a ton of extra work for no real gain. Maybe it's just me but I think that old school method leaves a softer finish that doesn't hold up as well to cars and salt. A good power finish is way harder in the long run.