Instructions for Troweling Concrete

The act of troweling, or finishing, the surface of your concrete slab is one of the most important steps in pouring a concrete patio or walkway. Troweling gives the concrete's surface its finished appearance, to which texturing may be applied. The most important aspect to troweling concrete is the timing. Troweling the concrete too soon adds too much water back into the slab, which weakens it and causes chips and cracks. You must wait until all the water has evaporated off the concrete's surface before you begin to trowel it.

Steel trowel

Instructions

- 1
  Lay a steel trowel on the concrete's surface. Tilt the trowel slightly, just enough to lift the leading edge up.
- 2
  Push down on the trowel's trailing edge, and drag it across the concrete's surface in a sweeping arch motion. Do not go back and forth over the concrete. Always lift the trowel and bring it back to the starting edge. Overlap sweeps slightly to blend them together.
- 3
  Make a second pass with the trowel. Lift the leading edge slightly higher for this pass, and apply a little more pressure. Use sweeping arches to smooth the concrete's surface.
- 4
  Repeat with a third pass to create an exceptionally smooth surface. Lift the leading edge slightly higher than in the second pass, and apply a bit more pressure. Overlap the sweeping arches slightly to blend them.

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