A guy in Tacoma told me power trowels are for hacks and I still think about it

We were finishing a big garage slab last spring and I pulled out the power trowel to start my first pass. This older finisher, who was just watching from the sidewalk, walked over and said, 'Real finishers use a hand float, kid. That thing is for guys who can't read the mud.' He pointed at the concrete like it was telling him a story. I kept using the machine because the schedule was tight, but his comment stuck with me. Do you think there's still a place for hand tools on bigger jobs, or is that just old-school pride?

2 comments

2 Comments

haydenharris16d ago

Man, that reminds me of my buddy's story. He was helping pour a fancy stamped patio for some rich client, and the crew boss made them hand-trowel the whole border section. Said the machine would wreck the pattern's sharp edges. They got it done, but my friend said his arms were jelly for two days. So yeah, I guess there's still spots where the old way is the only way that works right.

mark_cooper16d ago

Honestly, it's just concrete. If the floor is flat and the check clears, who cares how it got that way?