Next they guide a straightedge across the top of the concrete to level it. Then masons smooth the concrete with a bull float, a long-handled tool. Finishers then press an edger between the forms and the concrete. They guide the tool along the edge to give the concrete slightly rounded edges. Next they use a tool to make grooves at specific intervals in the concrete.
Finishers then trowel the surface with a powered or hand trowel to remove any imperfections.
As a final step, masons re-trowel the concrete back and forth to create a smooth surface. For concrete that is not supposed to have a smooth surface, masons brush the surface with a broom or stiff brush. Sometimes they embed gravel chips into the cement. When using gravel chips, masons rinse the chips and cement with an acid bath to remove extra cement. When building walls or other areas of exposed concrete, masons sometimes make repairs once the forms are removed.