Dropped $400 on a power trowel blade vs. $60 hand finishing - which worked better?

I was doing a 2,000 sq ft patio in Phoenix last month and decided to try a brand new power trowel blade set for $400 instead of my usual hand trowel finish. The powered blade gave me a way smoother surface way faster, but I messed up the edge control and had to fix a 4-foot section by hand anyway. Has anyone else found power trowels worth the money on small residential jobs, or do you stick to hand finishing for better control?

2 comments

2 Comments

riverwhite25d ago

You messed up the edge control" is exactly why I still hand finish small patios. For 2,000 feet you saved time on the main slab but that one botched edge shows why power trowels are tough to beat on big warehouses, not residential.

richard_roberts8024d ago

Has nobody considered that the biggest problem with power trowels on small patios is how they can "wash out" the cream on the edges if you're not careful, @riverwhite? That botched edge looks like it got overworked while the rest dried out.