At Runyon Surface Prep, we’re dedicated to providing tools, equipment, and knowledge contractors need to tackle concrete polishing and
surface preparation jobs of any size. But we don’t stop there—we keep our ears to the ground and a constant finger on the pulse of the industry. What’s the newest advance in epoxy floor coatings? What unique challenges are contractors working in hot, humid areas in the summertime facing? We meet these new challenges and advances head-on, and nowhere is that more obvious than in our work with trowel polishing.
This alternate use for power trowel machines has been around for some time now, but we noticed that it’s growing in popularity—and so we set out to develop equipment that maximized the power of this process while minimizing its inefficiencies. Here’s a look at how we designed what is now the #1-selling power troweling system on the market.
The Limitations of Trowel Polishing—and How We Surpassed Them
A Quick Background on Trowel Polishing
Concrete power trowels are good for more than just finishing concrete: take the blades off the trowel, attach diamond polishing pads, and you have yourself a concrete polishing machine that’s ready to tackle thousands of square feet quickly and efficiently. Not only does this method of polishing drastically cut down on labor, but it’s also a wet process, which eliminates the risk of airborne silica.
Where Trowel Polishing Falls Short
Because power trowel machines have been adapted from their original use (finishing concrete) to be used as polishing machines, they don’t have a built-in function that allows for easy tooling changeovers. This makes switching between grits and types of tooling fairly slow. A major part of the appeal of trowel polishing concrete is its efficiency, but this amount of downtime can really kill the momentum of a project. As a result, trowel polishing wasn’t living up to its full potential, and it wasn’t very widely accepted as a valuable method in the industry. Of course, the concrete polishing experts at Runyon Surface Prep knew we needed to help contractors overcome this challenge and unlock the full potential of power trowel polishing.
Runyon Surface Prep’s Solution
We spent over three years coming up with a simple yet powerful system designed to reduce machine downtime. The result? The Runyon Surface Prep Magnetic Preload System, the most efficient power trowel system around.
The secret is magnetic—literally. The system makes use of an innovative magnetic quick-change attachment that significantly speeds up tooling changes, allowing you to quickly switch out spent tools for the next step in the polishing process. With the ability to easily mount a wide range of tooling onto your concrete power trowel machine, you’ll be ready to choose the right tooling at exactly the right time.
The RSP Power Trowel System
The system consists of a stainless steel ring, polymer tool holders, bolts, and plastic caps. We know that every job is different, so we made sure that you can choose to run three, four, or six tools per head. Each setup comes with two tool holders, meaning that you’ll be able to have your next step of tools loaded and ready to go—further minimizing machine downtime!
Because speed and productivity are crucial to a job well done, attaching the MPS system to your ride-on power trowel unit is simple. Here’s a quick breakdown:
- Attach rotary mounts and pad drivers to trowel machine arms.
- Attach the MPS to each pad driver. Mount the stainless steel ring on the pad driver, attaching it with bolts and caps. The polymer tool holder should align on the steel ring—the holes and bolts can be used as guides to ensure everything is positioned correctly.
- It’s time to attach your tools and get polishing!
- To change heads, simply pull off the polymer tool holder currently on the driver and slide a new, fully-loaded tool holder on in its place.
Choosing the Right Tooling for Your Power Trowel Machine
The RSP Magnetic Preload System works with any 3” velcro-backed tooling on a standard 11”, 14”, or 16” pad driver. If you’re looking for specific tooling suggestions, look no further! We recommend the following.
- Turbo Tulips: Available in 30, 70, and 120 grits, these medium-bond tools are ideal for the initial polishing step for a cream finish floor or any floor that doesn’t require aggressive aggregate exposure.
- Copper Transitionals: For trowel polishing, we suggest these hybrid wet tools in 50 and 100 grit. They’re designed specifically to remove scratches put into the floor by metals, and they’re pre-opened to start cutting immediately!
- Wet Slicks: These wet resins range from 200 to 3500 grit and are ultra flexible with large channels, enabling them to follow the floor while letting water and debris easily pass through.
Ready to Start Trowel Polishing?
We’re so proud to be a driving force behind this increasingly popular concrete polishing technique, and we’re even prouder to be a one-stop-shop for the concrete polishing, surface preparation, and floor coating industries. Whether you’re interested in expanding your concrete polishing capabilities or are looking for a new ride-on power trowel or other equipment, we would love to hear from you. Reach out to Runyon Surface Prep today!