Question about using a magnesium float versus a wood float on a garage slab

Honestly, I always used a wood float on my garage jobs, but my buddy in Phoenix swore by his magnesium one. Tried his on a 20x22 slab last week and the difference was night and day. The magnesium just glides over the surface and closes up the bleed water way faster without tearing. Anyone else have a strong preference for one over the other?

3 comments

3 Comments

victor_roberts291mo ago

Man, that reminds me of the time I helped my uncle patch his barn floor. He only had this ancient, warped wood float that felt like dragging a brick through the mud. We spent more time fixing the grooves it left than actually finishing the patch. I bet a magnesium one would have saved us a whole afternoon of cussing.

murray.grace19d ago

Yeah, but you're both missing the real problem, which is the mix. Coleman.Taylor is right about mag floats closing the surface, but that old warped wood float victor_roberts29 described is just a bad tool. The trick is using a decent wood float first to work the cream up, then a quick pass with a mag to just knock down the high spots. Using only one or the other is what gets you in trouble.

coleman.taylor1mo ago

See, I've had the total opposite experience. That slick glide on magnesium is exactly the problem for me. On a big slab, it can close the surface too fast and trap bleed water underneath. Then you get that dusty top layer that just wears right off. A wood float gives you more feel and lets the slab breathe a bit while you work it. I've seen way more scaling issues on jobs where guys rushed it with a mag float.