DIY Sand Finish Floating Steps

Moments in this video

1. 0:07–0:11 Trowel for Smooth Concrete Finish From How to Pour a Concrete Landing Pad for Deck Stairs, Step 8: Finish the Concrete

   This is the critical step for achieving a perfectly smooth finish. After the concrete has lost its watery sheen and started to stiffen (known as 'setting up' or 'initial set'), a steel hand trowel is used. The worker in the video demonstrates repeated passes over the concrete surface. The first pass typically uses the trowel held relatively flat, followed by subsequent passes where the trowel is tilted slightly more, and increasing pressure is applied. This action further compresses the concrete, closes the surface pores, removes any remaining imperfections, and brings the finest cement particles to the top. Multiple passes, often spaced out as the concrete continues to harden, are usually required. Each pass refines the surface, making it denser and smoother, ultimately creating a hard, polished, and perfectly smooth finish free of trowel marks.

The guide that use this video

• How to Pour a Concrete Landing Pad for Deck Stairs