Replies

1. 
   Guest_ | Jun 04, 2000 04:42pm | #8

   *
   Howdy!
   All you power trowel experts out there. Could someone please explain to me the proper procedure for finishing flatwork with a power trowel? How do I know when it's time to hit it the first time? Should the angle of the blades be flat or steep? Why does the topping stick to the float blades and make holes? Should I progress in a side to side fashion or front to back?
   Any and all suggestions would really be appreciated.
   
   Thanx, Don

1. 
   Guest_ | May 26, 2000 11:21pm | #1

   *Hi Don,This is one of those things that won't be learned by reading a paragraph or two.Either you have an understanding and feel for concrete and it's idiocycracies or you don't.A good man can operate a power trowel all day and not be tired, a not so good man won't last an hour. He'll be all tired out fighting the machine instead of letting it do the work for him.Find a pro and offer to help him out with the bull work in exchange for OJT and guidance in learning the basics involved. You have to know how concrete sets off in order to know when its time to start polishing. You start with the floats attached on a medium pitch and start to work it. As you progress, you flaten out the pitch and later remove the floats and give it a final finishing.If you have a lot to do, you add a retarder to the mix.If you work it too much not only will the finish be poor, the surface will be very uneven.I can usually spot a DIY finishing job and I can only wonder why.Gabe

1. 
   Guest_ | May 27, 2000 12:26am | #2

   *Watching somebody power trowel for the first time is one of my all time favorite forms of entertainment. Just today, I saw a guy power troweling his new garage floor. He had mud 15' up the side of the house and the trowel was buried 3" into the slab. "Must have gotten on a little early" he said! I agree with Gabe, why take a chance on screwing up $1000 or so of concrete. Find a good man and learn from him if you want to do it again. Maybe he will let you try running it for a while. ( I would )

1. 
   Guest_ | May 27, 2000 03:20am | #3

   *Roger,

   And I also agree with with Gabe, and G. LaLonde. My only suggestion would be to try it be hand first. I've done lot's of cement work and have never used a power trowel.

   View Image © 1999-2000"More than any time in history mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness, the other to total extinction. Let us pray that we have the wisdom to choose correctly." Woody Allen

1. 
   Guest_ | May 27, 2000 02:06pm | #4

   *Don, Just in case you decide to go ahead with this project on your own, here are a few tips for you: Get yourself a GOOD machine, not some piece of junk that is all bent up and dirty. In my opinion, Arrow Master direct drive trowels are the best and easiest to use. Make sure it is very clean. I'm talking about the bottoms of the blades and around the pivot points where the blade pitch changes. You can have just a little bit of concrete buildup there and it will throw one or more blades out of pitch and the trowel will wobble and jump all over the floor.Make sure you familiarize yourself with all of the controls. Don't wear shoes with any kind of pattern in the soles or you will imprint the concrete or pull it up as you walk with the trowel. I sometimes just slip some plastic bags over my boots if they are starting to stick to the concrete.Power troweling fiber reinforced concrete is a nasty job. It doesn't want to level out like regular concrete and it wants to stick to the blades. Rich mix also wants to stick to the blades. You can usually help yourself with this problem by increasing the speed of the blades slightly.Most rental units come with combination float/finishing blades so they are somewhat easier to use. Wait until the water has gone down and the surface is getting firm enough to walk on before you attempt to get on it with a trowel. And lastly, don't overdo it or you will glaze and burn the surface, leading to problems down the road. If this is an outside pour in a cold climate, I would not power trowel it at all. I hope this gives you some idea of what's involved. I would still suggest you get someone with experience to do this for you the first time. Good Luck!

2. 
   Guest_ | May 27, 2000 03:02pm | #5

   *G LaLonde, Why not power trowel outside ina cold climate? I am getting older and thiking more power and less sweet. I have seen a lot of jobs done with a power trowel ,well most of them in cent. Ill.

3. 
   Guest_ | May 27, 2000 09:19pm | #6

   *Don, I am getting old too! I find that with a little guidance, these younger guys take most of the work out of pouring concrete. All of the concrete seminars that we attend warn you to stay away from steel troweling and especially power troweling concrete that will be exposed to freezing temperatures( especially soon after it is laid). Data from highway jobs and large commercial jobs shows that it significantly increases the chances of it spalling when it freezes.

4. 
   Guest_ | May 28, 2000 04:39pm | #7

   *G.LaLonde, Thanks , But I like the look of steel troweled concrete . Always thought that the spalling was from watered or weak mix. I like to smooth it with the hand mag and then just take all the rough out with the steel . My guess is that I only make 1 or 2 passes with my steel where the power trowel is making 100to 200 passes to get a simmilar finish.

5. 
   PAT_HEALY | Jun 04, 2000 04:42pm | #9

   *DON, IF YOU HAVE NEVER USED ONE I DON'T SUGGEST EXPERIMENTING NOW. HIRE SOMEONE WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY ARE DOING. IT WILL BE MONEY WELL SPENT