Update: I used to fight with my power trowel on every big slab

For years I was all about running my trowel at max speed to get a flat finish fast. But after a 30,000 square foot warehouse job in Memphis last August, my partner Dave said "you're burning the surface and causing more work." He showed me how dropping to low speed and letting the weight do the work gives a way smoother result with less trowel marks. Now I never touch high speed until the final pass, and it saves me about an hour per pour on commercial jobs. Anybody else switch up their troweling technique after watching an old head work?

2 comments

2 Comments

patricia_rodriguez7d ago

Dave showing you that trick probably saved your back too with less vibration.

laura_knight547d ago

Patricia's point about vibration is spot-on, but the real back saver comes from not fighting the machine. Running at lower speed lets the trowel glide instead of shake your arms off, plus the weight does most of the work. Dave's trick was more about control than comfort, but it definitely helps with fatigue too.