c/concrete-finishers

4

king.ruby•1d ago

Discovered a simple plywood trick for sidewalk joints

I've been finishing concrete for about 12 years now, mostly driveways and sidewalks around Cincinnati. Last month I was working a job for a guy who wanted a really clean decorative joint pattern on his walkway. I always used a regular groover tool but kept getting ragged edges that needed grinding. My old timer neighbor saw me struggling and told me to try using a piece of 1/4 inch plywood as a straightedge guide instead of just freehanding the tool. I cut a board to 8 feet long and clamped it to the forms, then ran the groover along it. The joints came out dead straight and the edges were so clean I barely had to touch them. Anyone else use plywood guides like this or do you have a better system?

20

gavinross•2d ago

Showerthought: That $90 tube of curing compound I grabbed from the hardware store was a total ripoff

I was pouring a small patio slab last month in Raleigh and ran out of my usual spray-on curing compound halfway through. Ran to the nearest box store in a panic and paid $90 for a gallon of that big-name solvent-based stuff. What a mistake. It smelled way too strong, took forever to dry, and the finish came out blotchy in spots. I should have just driven 15 minutes more to my regular supply place and paid $45 for the water-based stuff I always use. To top it off, I spilled half the can when I tripped over a hose. That stuff ruined my whole afternoon. Anyone else get burned by grabbing the wrong product in a hurry like this?

23

stone.simon•2d ago

Stop troweling while water is still beading on the surface

I was on a flatwork job in Denver last month and watched a new guy start finishing while the bleed water was still sitting. He ended up sealing that water into the surface and it looked like a mess after cure. If you see beads on top, wait. Or use a hose to push it off. I learned this the hard way on a 20 yard pour in 2019. Anybody else see guys rush this part?

29

tyler_white42•3d ago

Old school broom finish vs power trowel finally clicked for me

I have been finishing concrete for 22 years and I always swore by the old broom finish. Thought power trowels were for guys who could not handle a hand float. Then I did a 40 by 60 slab for a garage in Omaha last month. The homeowner wanted a smooth industrial look so I had no choice. I borrowed a ride on power trowel from a guy named Dave and ran it after the first set. The difference after 3 passes was night and day. No chatter marks, no uneven spots, and it saved me about 2 hours of hand work. Has anyone else switched from traditional methods to machines later in their career?

11

michaels95•17d ago

Old timer taught me about curing blankets back in 1987

I see a lot of guys finishing concrete and then just walking away without any cure. Back when I started with Murphy's crew in Detroit, we'd cover every slab with wet burlap and plastic for at least 7 days no exceptions. Last summer I watched a crew pour a driveway near Lansing and it cracked like crazy because they skipped the curing blanket. Anyone else notice more guys skipping this step these days?

0

willow244•18d ago

Serious question, is power troweling really better than hand finishing for small slabs?

I was reading a post on another site where a guy swore power troweling ruined his 4x6 patio pour because it left swirl marks that wouldn't buff out. But then my boss says you're wasting time if you don't power trowel anything over 10 square feet, it's just faster and gives a harder surface. I've been hand finishing small stuff like walkways and steps for 3 years now, and I get a nice consistent finish, but it kills my knees and takes twice as long. Last week we did a 8x10 slab and I tried the power trowel for the first time, and I'll admit it was smooth and flat, but I still worry about marking it up on a visible job. Has anyone else run into problems with power trowels on smaller residential work, or do you think it's just about technique?

4

benb21•19d ago

Paid $200 for a power trowel rental that just made me look like an amateur

I rented a power trowel from Sunbelt last Thursday for a big garage slab job. Thought it would save me time and give me a glass finish. But I didn't realize the blade pitch was set wrong and it just gouged the surface in a spiral pattern. Spent an extra three hours patching and hand finishing to fix my mistake. Has anyone else gotten burned by a rental tool that seemed easy but backfired?

19

andrew693•20d ago

A retired finisher in Tucson told me I was overworking my edges

I was out on a job last month, a 600 square foot patio in Tucson, and this old timer walks up and watches me for a minute. He says I'm going back and forth on my edges way too much, that I'm working the concrete past its set time. He told me to do a clean pass, lay the trowel flat, and leave it alone. I tried his method on the next slab and my edges came out way crisper with no flaking. Has anyone else had to unlearn a habit that was actually making your work worse?

25

willow244•20d ago

Picked a broom finish over exposed aggregate for a driveway in Flagstaff

Last week I had to choose between a broom finish and exposed aggregate for a 400 square foot driveway job. The customer wanted something that wouldn't show tire marks too bad but also didn't want to pay for the extra labor on exposed aggregate. I talked them into the broom finish since it's way easier to maintain in the snow up there. We did a medium-bristle broom with straight lines running parallel to the garage. It came out looking clean and the customer was happy with how the texture grabs the tires. Has anyone else had luck selling customers on simpler finishes when they're on a tight budget?

14

jamierodriguez•22d ago

Just fixed a crack in my driveway pour from last Tuesday

I had a small crack show up on a driveway I poured last Tuesday in Nashville. It was about 3 feet long and showed up after the first hot day we had. I thought I messed up the mix or the curing process. Turned out I just didn't wet the subbase enough before pouring. Dug out the crack, patched it with a repair mix, and it looks solid now. Anyone else deal with tiny cracks popping up fast in the summer heat?

30

joel_mason22•23d ago

Last Wednesday was a nightmare with a sloppy pour and a sudden rainstorm

We were finishing a driveway in Portland when the clouds opened up right after the pour, messed up the surface before we could get the tarp on. Anyone else ever had a job go sideways that fast?

6

jason328•23d ago

Had to choose between a power trowel and a hand finish on a big slab last week

I was working a 4000 square foot garage floor down in Eugene last Tuesday and the owner wanted that real smooth, almost polished look. My foreman was pushing me to just run the power trowel over it like we always do because it saves time and muscle. But I'd been looking at the weather and it was gonna hit 92 degrees that afternoon with low humidity, which meant the surface was going to set up fast. So I made the call to take the time and hand finish it with a magnesium float and a steel trowel instead. Yeah it took me and my guy almost an extra 4 hours but we didn't get any washboard ridges or burn marks that the power trowel can leave in a hot pour. Owner came out at the end and said it looked better than his kitchen counter, so that felt good. Any of you guys ever gone against your crew's recommendation on a finish and had it work out?

15

wade780•24d ago

Talked to an old-timer at the job site about broom finishes

Had a conversation with a guy named Frank who's been doing flatwork for 40 years. He told me I was dragging my broom too fast and that slower, even passes give a way better non-slip surface. Tried his method on a driveway in Austin last Tuesday and the texture came out way more consistent. Any of you guys prefer a certain broom stiffness for driveways vs sidewalks?

3

emmam32•26d ago

Took me 10 years to realize I was overworking my concrete when bull floating

I was at a job in Tulsa last spring and an older finisher watched me work for a minute. He said 'you know you're pushing all your cream to the surface, right?' I had no idea what he meant. Turns out I was floating way too early and too aggressively. I was basically making all my slabs weaker by dragging the fines up. Now I wait longer and take lighter passes. Slabs look better and I stopped getting that dusting issue I used to blame on the mix. Anyone else learn a basic thing way later than they should have?

2

fionagibson•26d ago

That crack in a slab outside Tulsa ate up 6 hours of my life

I poured a small patio for a lady near Tulsa last Thursday, maybe 60 square feet. Everything was going fine until I saw this hairline crack forming right as I was finishing the edge. I spent the next 6 hours mixing small batches of patch, trying to match the color, and re-troweling it three different times. Turns out the ground wasn't compacted right underneath one corner, so the whole thing settled just enough to crack. Has anyone else had a stupid little crack turn into a whole day project?

5

finley_harris5•28d ago

That trick with a garden hose for wet curing saved my driveway pour last summer

I was fighting 95 degree heat on a job in Phoenix and the concrete was setting way too fast, so I soaked burlap with a hose nozzle on mist and kept it covered for 3 days instead of using expensive curing compound. Has anyone else done the cheap hose method on a big slab and had it work out?

27

claire958•28d ago

Spent 2 hours fixing a slab because someone didn't wet the subgrade first

Saw a crew rush through a residential patio in Phoenix last week and now the whole thing's cracked down the middle, and I'm wondering how many of you have had to tear out work because the ground wasn't damp enough before you poured?

21

grayh60•1mo ago

TIL you can broom a wet stamp finish and it looks killer

Was at a job site in Toledo last month watching a guy do a stamped patio. He broomed the surface while it was still wet after the stamp and it gave this cool textured look. Has anyone else tried mixing broom and stamp finishes together?

23

brookep27•1mo ago

Old timer at the batch plant changed my mind about pump trucks

I've been hauling concrete for 8 years and always thought pump trucks were a waste for small residential jobs. Last Tuesday this guy Jimmy, must've been 70, watched me dump a load into a wheelbarrow for a backyard patio. He just shook his head and said 'son, you're burning an extra hour every pour'. He showed me his setup pumping 3 yards in 15 minutes flat. Made me wonder how much time I've thrown away. Anyone else switch to pumping and never look back?

24

colesanchez•1mo ago

Wet cure vs spray cure on a hot day, the difference blew my mind

I did a garage apron last August in Phoenix, sprayed cure on one half and wet burlap on the other half, and the wet cure side came out way harder with zero hairline cracks after 28 days. Has anyone else messed around with both methods on the same pour?

15

hill.jade•1mo ago

Small win: that old trowel trick actually worked on a tricky garage floor today

I was finishing a 20x30 garage slab outside Phoenix and the sun was cooking it faster than I could get a smooth surface. A guy I met at a supply house told me to keep a spray bottle with a mix of water and dish soap to lightly mist the concrete before my final pass. It bought me an extra couple minutes of working time and the finish came out way better than usual. Anyone else got a goofy trick like that for hot weather pours?

20

phoenix79•1mo ago

Switched from hand troweling to power trowel for small garage slabs

For years I did all my finishing by hand, even on 400 square foot garage floors. Last summer I finally borrowed a buddy's power trowel for a job in Phoenix and it cut my finishing time down from 6 hours to maybe 2 and a half. The finish came out way more even too, no more random high spots or trowel marks. Wish I'd made the switch a decade ago, honestly. Anyone else fight the urge to stick with old methods and regret it later?

20

betht32•1mo ago

Tried a broom finish on a driveway in Calgary and it came out way too rough

Last Tuesday I poured a 30 foot driveway for a client in Calgary and used a new magnesium float I just got, but I think I pushed the broom too hard while the concrete was still wet. The finish looks like a cheese grater and now the homeowner is upset about the roughness. Any tips on how to fix this without tearing it all out?

14

sandrap40•1mo ago

Vent: I was finishing a patio in Fresno last week and a homeowner asked why my broom lines were so deep.

I realized I'd been pressing way too hard with my finishing broom for years, which was causing premature wear on the surface, so what's the lightest touch you guys use for a good texture?

19

lucas_grant83•1mo ago

Hot take: My $400 laser screed attachment either saved my back or was a total waste for small pours.

I used it on a 20x30 patio and it cut my leveling time in half, but my buddy says it's overkill for anything under a foundation slab and I should've just stuck with my hand tools.