Timing & Methods

It is crucial and essential that the power-floating process is started at the correct time. The operator must wait until the concrete is hard and strong enough to hold the weight of the float and the operator. This is because if the concrete is too wet, the machine will simply tear up the surface. On the other hand, if it is too dry, the machine will not be able to trim away high spots and fill the lows effectively, thus affecting the levelness of the slab.

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Two Main Stages to Complete a Power Floating Job

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Stage 1: Floating

• The concrete should be reasonably hard for the floating to be carried out.

• The slab should be given an initial pass and the speed should be consistent and low.

• The float blades for this stage should be flat to create suction between float blade and concrete surface.

• At this stage, circular marks will be left on the surface, and will eventually be removed on the second stage.

Stage 2: Finishing  

• Once the surface has been floated, the finishing blades are used at this stage when the surface of the concrete slab has dried and there are no indents when walking over the surface.

• For the finishing pass, the blades are angled to suit the concrete. The angel is increased after each pass because the steeper the angle, the harder the finish.

• Several passes with the finishing blades may be required to achieve the specified finish.

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Notes:

We take extreme care at both stages of power floating to ensure that all areas of the concrete are covered by the float. In most cases, hand floating the edges, joints around obstructions and at walls should be done prior to floating.

There is no substitute for good quality concrete, care in preparing the form work, correct compaction, initial leveling and care and patience in the final finishing of all the surface areas.