The job that turned from a nightmare into a postcard in 48 hours

Started a driveway pour last Wednesday in Tulsa and the finish looked like the surface of the moon with all the rain we got, but after a quick skim coat and some creative brooming it came out smooth as glass. Has anyone else had a pour go totally sideways and then somehow end up looking better than the original plan?

3 comments

3 Comments

benb211mo ago

Maybe try a light acid wash before the skim coat next time if the surface is really rough. It helps the new layer bite in better and keeps it from peeling later on. Glad it worked out for you, sometimes those saves end up cleaner than the original plan.

allen.amy1mo ago

The acid wash trick is something I've only tried a couple times on old basement walls that had years of lime buildup. One job where I skipped it came back to haunt me three months later when the skim coat started delaminating in patches. @king.jordan's point about prep work rings true here because that extra step probably took me fifteen minutes but saved a whole redo. What kind of acid ratio do you typically use for really stubborn surfaces, or do you find it's more about how long you let it sit before rinsing?

king.jordan1mo ago

Isn't it funny how most things in life come out better when you put in a little extra prep work upfront?