Rick Yelton, Editor at Large

For 50 years, the World of Concrete has been the industry’s entry point for innovation.

For example, one of the concrete flooring industry’s most game-changing technology launches happened in 1982. Face Companies engineers, in cooperation with several flat-floor consultants, introduced the Face Dipstick Profiler. The measurement tool and its calculation methodology continue to be catalysts that have accelerated improvement in slab placing quality even today.   

At that time, concrete floor engineers and specifiers referenced floor profile finish quality by limiting the gap under either an unleveled or a leveled 10-foot straightedge. This procedure was inaccurate as measurements were difficult to repeat to assess quality.  

The floor profiler brought a consistent, repeatable test method by which placing contractors could measure improvement in their practices. “In the late 1980s, it was difficult to imagine the almost worldwide adoption of very unusual design, placement, finishing and measurement regimes,” said Brad Face, CEO of The Face Companies.

Face refers to the adoption of his company’s innovation in the 1987 publication of ASTM E1155, the Standard Test Method for Determining FF Floor Flatness and FL Floor Levelness Numbers. ACI-117 Standard Specification for Tolerances for Concrete Construction and Materials referenced the standard test method in 1990 as they defined the quality levels of slabs. Today, these documents are the concrete industry’s go-to test method for specifying floor quality.

Following the introduction of Dipstick at the World of Concrete, The Face Companies launched their Golden Trowel Awards program seven years later. The program recognizes contractors who produce the world’s flattest and most level floors. When Face first considered launching the awards program, he aimed to drive the domestic concrete flooring industry to higher-quality results.

The list of winners announced earlier this year demonstrates that the awards program has succeeded beyond anything The Face Companies could have reasonably expected. The global recognition program showcases that floor quality is improving worldwide.

The Face Companies honor contractors with Golden Trowels in several categories that influence flatness and levelness, such as how the floor was initially struck off, how wide the floor castings are, and how much shake-on hardener or steel fibers were used.

Meanwhile, Golden Trowel Silver Plates recognize outstanding entries that achieved exceptional results but did not dominate the category.

According to Jeff Rogers, Face Construction Technologies’ director of engineering, U.S. contractors no longer come close to dominating the Golden Trowels. Out of eight Golden Trowels awarded at the World of Concrete 2024, U.S. contractors received two, Asian contractors (China and Thailand combined) received four, and two were presented to Brazilian projects.  

To learn more regarding the Golden Trowel Awards click here.