Float - Power Float

PMT36 Power Trowel / Power Float

• 900mm (36”) trowelling diameter.

Common Features

• Reliable precision gearbox.
• Excellent weight distribution for easy operation.
• Adjustable handle height to suit operator.
• “Instant Stop” clutch for operator safety.
• Smooth pitch adjustment.
• Forward lifting bar aids manual handling.
• Lifting eye included as standard.
• Fitting for standard 6x14” Finish or 8x14” Combination blades.
• Can be fitted with standard Float Disc / Pan.

Power Floats For Finishing Concrete

Power floats can be used to create very durable and flat surfaces. The finish can be non-dusting and perfect for the later application of floor paints. 

There is a bit of an art to using these machines and so their effective use does require a little practice. In essence they perform the same function as hand floating and hand troweling but in a more aggressive way and with the ability to cover large areas.

Initial floating with a Bull float will be useful although not always necessary. The slab should then be left to cure to a point where the slab will take the weight of the power float.

When to start power troweling

The first floating pass with a power float has to be well timed.  The generally accepted test is to step on the slab. A boot print of just a few millimetres should be left in the slab.

Power Floating

The Power float can be fitted with a flat pan / float disc or clip on float blades. Both Float discs and clip-on Float blades are used flat on the concrete surface. As they spin the concrete is rubbed, pushed around and mixed together. This movement and mixing happens up to around 5mm deep so is the most effective way of toughening up the surface mixture.

Power Troweling for finishing concrete floors

After power floating the floor should be left to cure before finishing. The rough test for this is to press your hand on the surface. Your hand should pick up a bit colour from the cement but no, or very few particles.  The float pan or clip-on float blade should be removed or the combination blades reversed.

Finish troweling should start with a low angle on the blades. As the curing continues and the surface is further compacted the angle of the blades can be increased.  Many passes can be made until the desired surface finish is achieved.

Curing the Concrete Floor Slabs

The concrete can be left to cure once the finishing processes are complete. The only thing left to be done may be to cover the floor with polythene or tarpaulins to stop the slab drying too quickly.  On warm days , with a wind blowing or in direct sunlight the water necessary for the cement to cure may evaporate off. The area can be kept damp with a hose or sprinkler if required.