Notched Trowels for Epoxy Floors & Coving
Notched finishing trowels
For the metre the rake cannot reach
A notched finishing trowel is a hand tool for spreading resin to a set thickness where a rake cannot reach: along walls, at thresholds, around drains and up coved skirting. Edge work done with it has to meet the main pour while both are still wet, or the join shows.
A rake is a wide tool pulled in straight lines. Coves, thresholds, drain falls, the metre nearest a wall and anything cut around are worked by hand, with a notched trowel set to the same film as the open floor.
Blued spring steel, so the blade flexes evenly and does not chatter across a surface that is already going off.
The join is where it shows
Edge work and the open pour have to meet while both are still live. Held too long, the edge skins and the join sets as a ridge, right at the perimeter, right where light from a door or window lands across the floor.
It is the most common visible defect on an otherwise sound resin floor, and it is a sequencing failure, not a materials one.
Coving
A coved upstand (resin carried up the wall in a radius rather than stopping at a right angle) is formed entirely by hand with these. It is what makes a kitchen or a food area cleanable, and it is the first thing an inspector looks for.
Without itA ridge where the edge work meets the pour, right where the light from the door lands on it.
What to ask
Ask who does the edge work and when. If edges are cut in after the floor has gone off, you will see the line for as long as you own the floor.
Where it is used
Day 02 of the job, the pour, on every system we lay: decorative epoxy, flake floors, urethane cement, quartz broadcast, heavy industrial and repairs & recoats.
Questions people ask
What is coving on an epoxy floor?
A curved upstand where the floor meets the wall, formed in resin so there is no corner for dirt and water to collect in. It is standard in commercial kitchens, food production and clinics because it makes the junction cleanable, and it is shaped by hand with trowels.
Why is there a ridge around the edge of my epoxy floor?
Usually because the edges were laid separately from the main pour, and one had started to set before the other met it. The two cure as separate pieces with a visible line between them. It is a sequencing problem during installation, not a fault in the material.
Can a resin floor go right up to the wall?
Yes. The edge strip is trowelled to the same thickness as the open floor, and where hygiene matters the resin is carried up the wall as a cove. A gap, or a hand-painted strip along the wall line, is a sign the edge work was cut short.