- Knowing when to start using a trowel is important to getting a good finish. The concrete has to be solid enough for the trowel to run across, but not so solid as to prevent it from making a difference. A good tip for knowing when to begin the float pass, is to stand on the cement with work boots on. If you sink 3 millimeters into the concrete, it has set to the right hardness to begin the float pass.
- The float pass is your initial pass over your concrete after it has been gone over with a screed, which is a long wooden or aluminum tool used to smooth concrete. The purpose of the float pass is to smooth the surface of the concrete to a more level, smooth finish. During the float pass, walk backward to allow the trowel to clean up your footprints as you go. Go in a straight line either left to right, or forward to back. The trowel will leave a circular impression along the concrete. Try overlapping the circles slightly to make sure you cover every workable surface of the cement. On the second float pass, you will clear up your circles.
- Once the float pass is finished, the blades need to be changed to finishing blades for the finishing run. The finishing run should not be started until the concrete has dried to a point where walking on it does not leave an impression. When you start the finishing pass, angle the blades so that they are running along the concrete at a 5 to 10 degrees angle. After this initial pass, you can make the angle of the blades sharper. The higher the angle you run at your final pass, the glossier the finish. Make sure to up the angle in increments on each pass so that you do not take out chunks of the concrete.
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