Decided between a hand trowel and a power trowel for my garage slab last weekend

I had to pour a 24x30 slab for my own garage last weekend and I went back and forth on whether to use a power trowel or just do it all by hand. I mean, I've used power trowels on big commercial jobs and they're great for speed, but this was a smaller residential pour and I was working alone. Ended up going with a hand trowel because I figured I'd have more control around the edges and corners, and I didn't want to risk messing up the finish on a slab I gotta look at every day. Honestly, it took me about 3 hours longer than I thought it would, and my forearm is still sore 4 days later. But the finish came out pretty smooth with just a couple small cat faces near the door. Has anyone else made the switch to power on a job this size and regretted it or saved time?

3 comments

3 Comments

elliot_barnes19d ago

Used magnesium on mine. Way lighter, no question. Still felt it the next day though.

amy_coleman2119d ago

Man, I feel your pain on that sore forearm! I tried a power trowel on my 20x16 shed slab last year thinking it'd save me, and it was a disaster. The thing just bounced too much on the edges and left these little ridges I had to grind out later. @williamm82 mentioned washboarding, and that's exactly what I got - it looked like a wrinkled shirt in places. I'd love to know, did you use a magnesium or steel hand trowel for that garage slab? I've heard the magnesium ones are way lighter and might not beat you up as bad for finishing.

williamm8219d ago

I heard a guy say power trowels can leave washboarding on small slabs if you're not careful.