Floated Concrete: What is it, its uses and How to Trowel?

Floated concrete is a type of concrete pavement finish that is characterized by working the concrete mechanically to obtain a hard, regular, rough, non-slip surface. 

Due to its characteristics, it is the most common system for paving industrial surfaces, since its mechanical trowelling process in the last layer with the help of a concrete trowel offers a highly resistant pavement. 

In addition, due to its characteristics, trowelled concrete is also used as a base for laying bricks, marble, ceramics, or stone. 

Advantages of floated concrete 

The main characteristic of trowelled concrete is its roughness, which makes it an anti-slip finish. 

• Flattened concrete is characterized by its high resistance. 

• It eliminates possible defects and irregularities. 

• Trowelling the concrete is a relatively easy process and is carried out while the concrete is still fresh, minimising the time needed to complete the process.

• Concrete trowelling is quite cheap to carry out, resulting in a very economical finish.

• Low maintenance costs.

How is concrete trowelling carried out? 

Floated concrete is a finish on concrete floors that is carried out mechanically, thanks to the action of a concrete trowel or helicopter, a machine for building sites that are characterized by its rotating blades that carry out the mechanical trowelling on the concrete. 

Steps for smoothing a concrete floor with a trowel 

The main steps in obtaining a trowelled concrete floor are as follows:

1. The first step consists of preparing the surface where we will execute the pavement to create the base to obtain rubble free, leveled, compacted, and formed base. 

2. Then, we will proceed to pour and spread the concrete; and we will proceed to flatten and level the surface with a vibrating rule.

3. And finally, with the concrete somewhat cured but still fresh, we proceed to trowel it with a trowel machine in order to obtain a uniform, resistant, compact, smooth, and durable surface.

Can the concrete be trowelled by hand? 

Although petrol or electric trowelling machines are mostly used for trowelling concrete, it can also be done manually with the help of concrete trowels and trowel blades, which will allow us to achieve a similar effect manually. 

This manual trowelling work will not be common because it does not offer us a finish as fast and consistent as with a trowelling machine. However, it may be preferable in certain situations where the use of trowelling machines is not possible or does not give us the expected result, such as situations where the concrete is in outdoor areas exposed to freeze-thawing. 

When do you opt for a trowelled concrete floor? 

Flattened concrete is a very common solution mainly for exterior and industrial floors. However, it is increasingly used in interior flooring such as garages, basements, terraces, or homes, among others.

In addition, due to its characteristics, fractured concrete is ideal for estates, urbanizations, parks, pavements, and other exterior surfaces of the style. 

Conclusions on power floating concrete 

Power floating concrete is a very common finishing process on industrial and outdoor surfaces. It is characterized by being a finish on concrete surfaces where a very affordable concrete pavement is obtained with very interesting characteristics, such as its non-slip and high resistance finish.