mila_brown10•2mo agoTop Commenter

That job in Phoenix last August made me switch my trowel technique

I was finishing a big warehouse floor near the 101 and my float was leaving these drag marks I couldn't fix. The GC walked over and showed me how he keeps his trowel at a flatter angle on the second pass, not the 10 degree I was using. Tried it on the next pour and saved myself an hour of grinding. Has anyone else found a specific angle that works better for certain mixes?

3 comments

3 Comments

brooke7671mo ago

That 5 degree trick saved my bacon on a 4 inch slab up in Flagstaff last fall. The mix was stiff with a low slump and my old 9 degree angle just kept tearing up the surface. Dropped it down to around 5 and the cream came right up smooth. I think it really depends on the mix and the weather. Hot dry air like Phoenix in August makes mud set faster so you got less time to work it. Flat angle lets you keep moving without fighting it.

grace6072mo ago

I switched to a 5 degree angle last month on a 4 inch slab near Glendale and it was like magic. No more burn marks and it actually smoothed out the cream without making me feel like I was fighting the mud. The GC I was under for years always swore by 10 degrees and I just went with it, but he also used a 35 year old trowel with a warped handle so maybe he wasn't the best source. I still catch myself holding it wrong when I get tired though, old habits die hard.

henderson.oscar2mo ago

Aw man, I gotta say something here... 5 degrees on a 4 inch slab sounds real low. Most guys I know run 8 or 9 for that thickness unless it's super cold. You sure you weren't getting the trowel edge digging in? That 10 degree old timer was probably closer to right than you think, just had the wrong trowel for it.