Typically, we will apply a colored concrete base coat that will eventually be the grout line color. After the base coat cures, we apply a pattern (slate, flagstone, or tile) with tape, and then we trowel down another coat of colored concrete. After the concrete is firm enough for foot traffic, we remove the tape, revealing the grout line color from the first coat.
The imperfections of a hand-troweled floor not only have artistic merit in their own right (a concrete artisan’s trowel marks are as unique as an artist’s brush strokes), but they will cause stains and tinted sealers to react with the coating unevenly, resulting in marbled or mottled looks.
Faux wooden planking is another possibility with hand troweling. Simulated wood grain can be achieved using a combination of trowels and different kinds of brooms.
