Tried a power trowel on a small slab last week and it was a mess

I got a used power trowel for $150 and figured I'd try it on a 10x12 patio pour. The slab was too small to maneuver and I ended up with a bunch of swirl marks I had to hand finish anyway. Next time I'll stick to the hand float for anything under 200 square feet. Has anyone else found a minimum size where power trowels actually work?

2 comments

2 Comments

victor_carr2516d agoMost Upvoted

Saw a guy on YouTube say 200 is the minimum and he wasn't wrong lol.

nelson.cameron15d ago

Man, @victor_carr25 hit the nail on the head with that. I've seen it too, and honestly 200 feels like the sweet spot for most builds. Way too many people cheap out and get a 150 watt unit, then wonder why their system shuts off under load. It's just not worth the headache to go lower unless you're building something super basic. Better to have room to grow and not stress the power supply.