Finally got a smooth finish after my trowel battery died mid-slab

I was on a job site finishing a concrete slab when my power trowel battery quit. Had to switch to a magnesium float and work by hand, something I rarely do now. It added a lot of time, but the surface came out super flat without any machine marks. Really pleased with how it turned out in the end.

3 comments

3 Comments

kevin_harris781mo agoMost Upvoted

Wait, you finished that whole slab by hand with a magnesium float? That's insane. My arms are burning just thinking about it. Those things are for edges and touch ups, not the whole surface. Getting it that flat without the machine is a crazy amount of work, man.

the_skyler1mo ago

That magnesium float thing is so true. Had a similar mess last year where the machine just wouldn't give me the right finish on a patio. Out of frustration, I went over it by hand for way longer than planned. The customer loved how it looked, said it had a totally different, almost polished feel. Makes you wonder how much we rely on the battery tools sometimes.

anna7611mo ago

Did you read that article about how hand floating can actually close up the surface better than a machine sometimes? I saw a thing where this old-timer said a magnesium float puts a different kind of finish on it, like it seals the top layer tighter as you work it. Makes sense why yours came out so smooth, even if it was a pain to do.