Concrete Hand Tools

Concrete finishing tools are hand-operated equipment for spreading, striking off and smoothing fresh concrete during the finishing of floor slabs and industrial floors. A typical set is 4–5 tools: a rake, a screeding straightedge, a bull float, a fresno trowel and optionally a texture broom, used in sequence within a window of 15–120 minutes after pouring. Without them a floor comes out uneven, with visible trowel marks.

A bull float is a pan around 60–120 cm wide on a pole, used to smooth the surface right after strike-off, while the concrete is still wet. A fresno trowel is a narrower steel or stainless-steel pan used 30–60 minutes later, giving a smooth, heavily troweled finish ready for paint or resin. These are two consecutive stages of the same finishing process, not interchangeable tools.

A screeding straightedge (screed) is matched to the width of the pour. Short straightedges (about 1.5–2 m) work well on narrow strips and steps, while longer ones (2–3 m and up) suit wide floors struck off along rails. An aluminium profile is stiff and light, and holds a straight line well. On widths above 3 m, the straightedge is worked by two people to prevent it flexing.

A bull float smooths and closes the surface right after strike-off, giving a flat texture ready for troweling or painting. A texture broom, around 60–90 cm wide, is used 30–90 minutes later, once the concrete has stiffened slightly — it creates grooves (a broom finish) that improve grip. A bull float gives smoothness; a broom gives roughness for driveways and ramps.

Come-along rakes spread and roughly distribute fresh concrete inside the formwork, right after it is poured. They have a wide, flat or toothed working blade, usually 40–70 cm, used to fill corners and lift reinforcement into position. Toothed versions make it easier to spread a stiffer mix. This is the first tool used in the sequence, within the first 5–10 minutes after pouring.

The basic set is a rake, a 2–3 m screeding straightedge, a 60–120 cm bull float and a fresno trowel for the final smoothing pass, all worked on a telescopic pole extending several metres. On floors above a few hundred square metres, the hand-held set finishes edges and corners while a machine from our concrete troweling range handles the rest of the slab.

Aluminium and composite (fibre-reinforced plastic) fresno trowels differ in stiffness and mechanical resistance. Aluminium better withstands impacts and reinforcement edges, so it lasts longer than a composite pan, which is around 20–30% lighter. Composite doesn't corrode and suits very wet concrete, but under heavy use — several dozen square metres a day — it scratches more easily.

Enar hand screed models TR, TRO, BG and LRO are matched with the Enar aluminium telescopic pole, typically made of 2–3 sections and extending to about 3–4 m — enough for domestic floors up to around 3 m wide. The pole connects to the hand screed through the Enar-compatible fitting. For slabs over 4 m, a longer pole worked from both sides is needed.

Professional hand tools from Enar, Toolsa and Beton Trowel typically cost from around €20 to a few hundred euros per item, net. An aluminium screeding straightedge 1.5–3 m falls roughly in the €20–70 range, a bull float or fresno trowel on a pole costs around €45–140, and a rake or texture broom around €20–90. A basic set for a single pour typically runs up to around €350 net.

Altrad Belle come-along rakes for concrete have a classic, flat working blade with no teeth, for spreading the mix without the risk of catching on reinforcement. Original Beton Trowel rakes come in a smooth version similar to the Altrad Belle design, and a toothed version (the BT toothed concrete rake) for stiffer mixes. Working width on both brands is usually 40–70 cm, and the handle is typically 1.5–2 m long.