Done with magnesium or wood hand floats, or with float pans on a power trowel, once the slab is firm enough to take only a light footprint. Floating embeds the coarse aggregate, removes small humps and voids, compacts the mortar at the surface and readies it for steel troweling. Hand floats leave a slightly open, gritty texture, which is why some exterior slabs stop at a float finish.
Floating can start on the north bay, it's taking a quarter-inch print, the south side is still wet.
Also heard as
- float finish
- mag float
- float pass
Related terms
Pan
A round steel float disc clipped onto a power trowel's blades for the first, flattening machine passes.
Bull float
A wide flat float on a long handle, pushed across a fresh slab right after screeding to smooth and close it.
Power trowel
A gas or electric machine with rotating blades that floats and trowels large concrete slabs.
Kneeboards
Flat boards finishers kneel on to spread their weight while working a fresh slab by hand.
Bleed water
Water that rises to the surface of fresh concrete as the heavier solids settle.