Why Hand-Trowel This Basement Slab? (And Skip the Power Trowel Entirely) When a basement slab is getting flooring installed on top, a full machine polish is a waste of time. A clean, tight hand-trowel finish gets the surface perfectly ready for flooring — without having a crew here until midnight chasing a shine no one will ever see. Hand-Trowel vs Power Trowel • Hand-trowel gives a smooth, uniform base ideal for flooring adhesives. • Power trowel would create unnecessary polish and add hours to