The day I stopped fighting wet concrete with a bull float and switched to a roller

Back when I started finishing 12 years ago in Phoenix, I used to spend 45 minutes bull floating every slab until it felt like my arms would fall off. Then I watched a seasoned crew at a warehouse pour just use a heavy roller to knock down the high spots in 10 minutes flat. I tried it on a 30x40 garage floor last August, and it cut my leveling time by half with way less strain. Now I only pull out the bull float for small patches or tight corners where the roller can't reach. Has anyone else made this switch, or do you still swear by the float for everything?

3 comments

3 Comments

felixhenderson5d ago

Hang on wait, a roller shaves off THAT much time? I've been bull floating every slab for like 8 years now and my arms are dead by noon. I always heard you had to use a float for the finish to look right, but I guess if it's a garage floor who even cares. Maybe it's just me but I've been putting way too much effort into something that doesn't matter that much. I mean, if a crew at a warehouse pour just switched to a roller like that, it's gotta work. Honestly I'm kind of mad I didn't know this sooner.

phoenix_singh255d ago

Wait does a roller actually work that well on a standard garage slab? I used to think you needed a bull float for any kind of decent finish, but last year I tried one on a 20x40 driveway and it flattened the whole thing in like 8 minutes. I mean, the texture wasn't as smooth as the float gives you, but for a garage or a shop floor nobody cares about that. Now I only grab the float for the edges and tight spots, same as you.

the_oliver5d ago

phoenix_singh25 mentioned the texture thing and that's exactly what I was thinking. I read somewhere that a roller leaves a slightly different surface because it doesn't close the pores the same way a float does. For a garage or a shop floor that's getting epoxy or just getting walked on, it really doesn't matter. But if you're doing a patio or something where people will actually look at the concrete up close, the float still gives a nicer finish. That being said, I've gone roller-first on every slab over 500 square feet for the last two years and only pull out the float for the last pass and the edges.