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5.1 SURFACE PREPARATION
We recommend the use of a vibrating
mechanical screed or manual screed to level
the floor surface. This preliminary operation
will give a good compaction to concrete screed
and as a result you will get an ideal surface for
the troweling and finishing.
TROWELING PHASE
Before starting the troweling operation, make
sure that the trowel disc has been correctly
mounted on the blades.
The floor will be ready for the first troweling
when walking on the same the footprint of the
shoe sinks about 2-3mm into the concrete.
During the troweling phase the trowel disc
does not have to jump on the surface; this
phenomenon could be due to the dirt nested
between the blades and the trowel disc.
If necessary, stop the trowel and clean it as
indicated in the next paragraph.
The intervals of the trowel passes depend on
environmental factors, namely: temperature
and weather conditions. On average about
20-30 square metres of surface are troweled
in ten minutes.
After each operation, stop the engine.
Never leave the machine stopped with the
engine running, especially during the troweling
phase when the concrete is still fresh.
Be
careful not to work continuously in the
same spot when the concrete is still wet, as
it may cause damage to the flatness of the
floor.
5.3 FINISHING PHASE
After troweling:
•
Remove the trowel disc from the
blades and clean the blades and the blade
holder from the cement deposited during
the troweling phase (use PPE);
•
Turn the lift-rod knob (detail of Fig. 5.1)
clockwise until a tilt of about 1 cm is given
to the blades to perform the first pass;
•
For subsequent smoothing operations
continue increasing the inclination of the
blades until you obtain the desired finish;
•
The time between one pass and the
other is determined by the weather
conditions (cold or warm season) and the
amount of water present in the concrete;
If in some areas the concrete has
hardened too quickly it is possible to
dampen by spraying a small quantity of
water with a masonry brush to obtain the
desired degree of finish.
!
WARNING
Operation of the machine, the
user must be aware that moving
parts are dangerous; therefore,
to avoid damage, it is important
to follow the instructions given in
this manual.
Carefully read the instructions
and warnings reflected in this
manual.
IMPORTANT!
Carefully consider that the trowel
machine DOES NOT improve the
flatness of a badly levelled floor.
!
WARNING
Never lift the trowel holding the
rotating pulley.
Use a special lifting device to move it.
In case it is necessary to lift it more
than cm. 100 from the ground, remove
the trowel disc as described in para.
6.2.
!
WARNING
In the presence of too much water
the trowel tends to skate; it is
compulsory
to
make
sure,
especially at the time of start, you
always
have
control
of
the
machine.