Worldwide, around 1.56 tons of cement is poured a year. Because it’s a cheap and sturdy material, it’s not a surprise that concrete’s used twice as much as any other materials, such as wood and aluminum.
With the use of concrete comes the necessity of accompanying equipment, such as the troweling machine. In this article, we’ll discuss what a concrete troweling machine is and the importance of it in construction.
What Is a Concrete Troweling Machine?
A concrete troweling machine is a piece of technology that allows construction workers to smooth out concrete before it hardens. Not only does it give you a smooth and even surface, but it also gets rid of any irregularities.
Traditionally, contractors would use hand trowels, which look like gardening tools. There are two types: the angle trowel and edge trowel.
As you’d expect, hand trowels can take a great deal of manual labor, especially if the job site is expansive. Either you’d need to have one person spend many hours hand troweling by themselves, or you’d have to pay multiple contractors to get the job done.
To help construction workers with their task of smoothing out concrete, the concrete troweling machine was invented. Hand trowels are now reserved for smoothing out hard to reach places, such as where walls connect.
Today, you can find two types of troweling machines: the walk-behind machine and the ride-on machine. Read on to find out more about each one.
Walk-Behind Machine
As the name suggests, the walk-behind machine is operated by standing behind the troweling machine and pushing it along the concrete surface. They’re typically much smaller than ride-on trowel machines (they’re about the size of a lawnmower), which makes them ideal for operation in smaller, more cramped spaces.
Walk-behind machines also don’t have a powerful combustion engine, which means there are no harmful fumes. This makes them a much better choice to use when you’re in poorly ventilated construction sites.
These machines are ideals for pre-smoothing concrete surfaces. They can also be used after the operation of ride-on machines to further trowel and polish the surface.
When using a walk-behind troweling machine, you’ll have the ability to adjust the diameter, balancing measure, and power output. This gives you great control over how the concrete’s troweled.
Ride-On Machine
For bigger projects, you’ll want to use the ride-on troweling machine instead of the walk-behind one. As you can guess from the name, you can sit on the machine instead of walk behind it.
Because it can cover larger diameters and the operator doesn’t have to exert any of their own energy, the ride-on troweling machine can be a much better piece of equipment to use in terms of labor invested.
The industry is continually innovating, which means you can get different types of machines that can do things such as better accommodate the operator or transport blades.
Most of these ride-on troweling machines also let you adjust the speed range. This means you use one speed for smoothing out the concrete, while you use another speed to finish it off with polishing.
The ride-on machine has its strength in less manual labor and greater coverage, but for the best results, it’s best to use it in conjunction with both a walk-behind trowel and hand trowel.
The Importance of Concrete Troweling Machines
Now that you know a bit more about concrete troweling machines, we’ll discuss the importance of using them for your construction project.
It Improves the Surface Appearance
The most obvious benefit of using a concrete troweling machine is it finishes the concrete so it looks shiny and polished. If you’ve ever looked at concrete that’s just been poured, it’s lumped and dull in color.
When it dries, you want it to have a smooth and lustrous appearance so the flooring doesn’t look half-finished. This is especially important if the concrete surface is used in a commercial setting and not an industrial one.
Troweling also provides a more even surface to walk on. Obviously, this provides more comfort and better safety for those on the property.
It Gets Rid of Excess Water
When concrete is mixed to pour, water is added to make the sludge you see. Machine troweling makes the concrete both denser and harder since it compacts the entire layer.
In the process of packing the concrete, it squeezes out excess water like when you squeeze a sponge.
It Eliminates Laitance
Not only does machine troweling get rid of excess water, but it eliminates laitance as well. Laitance is a weak layer that sits on the top of the entire concrete surface. This can happen if there’s too much water in the poured concrete, excess troweling, or the misfortune of rain falling while the concrete’s being placed.
With the right kind of troweling, you can reduce the chances of this happening.
It Reduces the Chance of the Concrete Cracking
When the concrete is more uniform all throughout, it’ll dry in a better fashion and won’t be uneven. As a result, it’ll reduce the chance of your concrete cracking.
The key to an even, smooth surface is to get rid of all the irregularities before the concrete dries. This is something that troweling achieves.
For more information on using a concrete troweling machine, check out this post.
Get Smooth Concrete With the Right Equipment
As you can see, the concrete troweling machine is very important if you need to get smooth concrete in your property. While most smaller to medium-sized projects use walk-behind machines, you can always consider a ride-on version if your project’s larger or if you want to cut down on the hours of labor.
Either way, these amazing machines will help you deliver concrete surfaces that are finished and ready for use.
For more interesting reads on construction, please take a look at our other blog articles.