Why does everyone push for power trowels on small jobs?

I was talking to an old finisher named Hank at a job site in Akron last Thursday and he said power trowels ruin the feel of small garage slabs because they overwork the surface too fast. He showed me how he hand finishes everything under 400 square feet with just a magnesium float and it came out smoother than any machine job I've done. Has anyone else found hand tools beat the trowel for tight residential work?

2 comments

2 Comments

sullivan.spencer9d ago

Hank's got a point. I ran into the same thing with a guy named Leo in Canton who said power trowels ruin the cream on small pours. Hand tools let you feel the surface set better and you don't burn it.

uma_martinez9d ago

Oh man, nobody's talked about how hand tools let you work tighter around obstacles without wrecking the pour...