The operation skills of the trowel have a great impact on the trowel effect.
1. Starting stage
- Correct starting position: When starting the trowel, it is important to place it in an area where the concrete surface is flat and has been preliminarily processed (such as vibrated and scraped). If it is started in an uneven place or with debris, the trowel will be subject to uneven resistance at the beginning, which may cause the trowel blade to jump, thereby affecting the trowel effect. For example, on the newly poured concrete floor, if there are protruding stones or uncompacted parts, after starting the trowel, the trowel blade is likely to vibrate here, causing wavy patterns on the surrounding ground.
- Stable starting speed: Starting the trowel smoothly can avoid the trowel blade suddenly accelerating and causing impact on the ground. For electric trowels, avoid quickly connecting the power supply to cause the motor to run at a high speed instantly; for gasoline trowels, when starting, you should follow the operating procedures and slowly pull the starting rope to allow the engine to gradually reach the working speed. If the starting speed is too fast, the impact force between the trowel and the ground is too large, which may leave scratches on the ground or cause partial peeling of the mortar layer on the concrete surface.
2. Travel process
- Travel speed control: The travel speed of the trowel directly affects the quality and efficiency of the trowel. If the speed is too fast, the trowel will stay in each area for too short a time, and the concrete surface cannot be fully compacted and smoothed, which can easily cause the ground to be rough and uneven. If the speed is too slow, although the trowel effect can be more refined, it will reduce work efficiency. For example, when troweling a large area of industrial plant floor, it is generally more appropriate to keep the travel speed at 3-5 meters per minute, which can not only ensure the quality of troweling, but also improve work efficiency to a certain extent.
- Travel track planning: A reasonable travel track can make the trowel effect more uniform. Usually, a zigzag, circular or spiral travel track is used. The zigzag track is suitable for narrow and long areas, so that the trowel can fully cover every corner; the circular and spiral tracks are suitable for large circular or square areas, which can ensure that the trowel can evenly trowel from the center to the periphery or from the periphery to the center. If the walking track is chaotic, such as turning randomly or repeatedly over-troweling in certain areas, it will cause uneven troweling of the ground, high and low differences or local over-troweling.
3. Pressure control
- Adjust pressure according to stage: Different pressures need to be applied at different stages during the troweling process. In the rough grinding stage after the initial setting of concrete, a larger pressure can be appropriately applied to compact the concrete surface and eliminate bubbles and pores. In the fine grinding stage, the pressure should be reduced so that the trowel slides gently on the ground, mainly used to improve the finish of the ground. For example, during rough grinding, the hand-held trowel can increase the pressure by pressing the operating handle appropriately; during fine grinding, the handle is relaxed to let the trowel contact the ground naturally. If the pressure is not properly controlled, excessive pressure during the fine grinding stage may damage the ground that has been initially leveled, resulting in new scratches and unevenness.
- Importance of even pressure: Ensure that pressure is evenly distributed on the trowel blade, whether in the rough or fine grinding stage. Uneven pressure can cause some parts of the trowel blade to exert too much force on the ground, while other parts exert insufficient force, resulting in local unevenness and inconsistent gloss on the ground. Operators need to achieve even pressure through skilled operation and good control of the trowel.
4. Edge treatment
- Special tools or techniques for corners: For areas such as corners and edges that are difficult for the trowel to cover directly, operating skills are particularly critical. You can use a small handheld trowel or a special corner trowel tool for processing. When using a handheld trowel, keep it perpendicular to the corner or edge and rotate it slowly with a small radius to ensure that the concrete in the corner can be fully compacted and smoothed. Without the correct corner treatment skills, these areas can easily be overlooked, resulting in uneven and rough corners, affecting the finishing quality of the entire floor.