I always figured it was overkill but the slab came out way smoother with zero cracking compared to just spraying it down, has anyone else noticed that big of a difference?
I was dead set on doing everything by hand for 12 years, but my buddy loaned me his for a 1,200 square foot driveway in Austin and I finished in 3 hours instead of 8. Has anyone else made the switch and found it messes with your finish control on the edges?
Did a job last spring for a guy in the suburbs outside Portland. He insisted on those fancy stamped concrete patterns with the integral color. Looked great for about 4 months until the first winter came. Now the color is faded uneven and the stamp lines are collecting dirt. I told him plain broom finish with a simple acid stain would have held up better for half the cost. Anyone else finding that homeowners are pushing for these elaborate finishes that just don't last in real weather conditions?
Poured a 12x14 patio in Arlington around noon and the sun came out way hotter than forecast. Mix started getting stiff before I could even get my bull float across the whole thing. Ended up having to spray a mist and work in sections - what do you guys do when the weather turns on you mid-pour?
Anyone else tried the $12 a gallon stuff and had it bubble up like crazy, or is it worth spending $80 on the good brand next time?
I had a job last month in Avondale where the guy said the broom lines were too deep and looked like a dirt road. He showed me a picture of his brother's driveway that was super tight with a light broom. That got me to switch from a stiff bristle to a medium one and slow down my pace. Anyone else get complaints that made them rethink a basic technique?
Used a budget curing compound from a big box store last Wednesday on a 30 yard residential driveway in Phoenix. By Friday afternoon the surface was spider cracking like crazy because the stuff didn't seal right in the dry heat. Anyone else had curing compounds fail on them in hot weather?
I always swore by hand bull floating every slab I finished, figured power floats were for lazy crews. Then I hit 500 yards on a warehouse floor near Austin and my shoulder gave out by day three. Has anyone else made the switch and regretted it or stuck with manual?
I was heading to a supply run last Thursday and saw a crew pouring a big slab for a new car wash. The finish looked like glass from the road, no trowel marks or anything. Got out to ask what mix they used and the foreman just shrugged and said '3,000 psi with a lot of prayers I guess.' Has anyone else seen a pour that perfect and wondered what their secret really is?
Last month I had to resurface a 400 sq ft patio in Columbus. Grabbed a cheap steel trowel from Home Depot instead of dropping the cash on a good magnesium one. That thing rusted up in two days and left streaks all over the finish. Had to grind it down and start over. Cost me an extra 6 hours of work. Has anyone else had a cheap tool cost them way more time than it saved?
Union guy in Phoenix said I was crazy to trust curing compound alone in July, so I tried his burlap method on a 40-yard driveway last week. Zero cracks versus my last three jobs that all had surface issues. Anyone else get handed a tip that sounded dumb but saved your work?
I was down in Tucson last week visiting my cousin and I saw this crew pouring a big driveway at like 6 in the morning. They were done by 10 and had tarps ready to keep the sun off it while it set. How do you figure out the exact right window to pour when the temp jumps 30 degrees before noon?
I was out on a driveway pour last spring and this retired guy walks up just watching me work. He didnt say nothing for 20 minutes then just goes "you're bleeding the cream off" because I was starting the steel trowel way too early. He showed me the fingertip test and I felt like an idiot. My finish went from okay to glassy smooth after that. Anybody else get a rude awakening about their water content mid pour?
I tried a water based sealer on one half of a patio and a solvent based on the other half last month. The water based one started peeling after just 3 weeks while the solvent based still looks perfect through some heavy rain. Has anyone else had better luck with solvent based sealers for outdoor flatwork?
Picked up an old Whiteman trowel at an auction outside Nashville for $450... thing was beat to hell but ran smooth. Got a big warehouse floor job last week and it saved me about 3 hours of hand finishing. Has anyone else had luck with old iron instead of buying new?
The resin float left that surface so smooth I didn't need to go back with a trowel on that 300 square foot patio in Nashua, but now I'm wondering if anyone else finds it harder to get a good edge where the forms meet?
Been doing flatwork for 8 years in Charlotte. Always used a hand trowel for finish. Last month on a 4000 sq ft warehouse floor I borrowed a buddy's power trowel. Night and day difference. Smoother finish in half the time. My knees hurt way less too. Anyone else make the switch and never go back?
That hot Texan sun kept blistering my cream finish no matter how tight my timing was, so a 25-year vet told me to try a resin float and it cut my finishing time by what felt like half. Has anyone else made that swap and noticed the surface holds cream longer?
I was pouring a driveway in Phoenix last July and this old timer came by, saw me struggling with the float sticking. He showed me to wet the float down every 2 passes instead of keeping it dry. Has anyone else found a trick like that for hot weather pours?
We were finishing a 30x40 driveway near Green Bay and the sky opened up about 20 minutes after we screeded. Rain was coming down hard enough to dimple the surface. I grabbed a couple empty 5 gallon buckets and some visqueen we had in the truck, covered the fresh concrete best we could, and waited it out for 15 minutes. Pulled the plastic off slow and careful, then we hit it with a light bullfloat to close up the rain marks. Turned out okay but my heart was pounding the whole time. Anybody else got a rain save story or a better way to handle it?
I finished a 400 square foot garage slab in Phoenix last Saturday and tried using a power trowel for the first time after years of hand finishing. The power trowel gave me a smoother finish in half the time but I lost control on one edge and left a small gouge I had to patch. Has anyone else had trouble keeping a power trowel steady near the edges?
My buddy Jim watched me pour a driveway in Memphis last week and was like 'dude you're making soup not concrete.' He showed me the slump test and I couldn't believe how much dryer his mix was. Has anyone else had someone call them out on a bad habit like that?
I was out on a driveway pour last July, temp was pushing 108, and I was about to hit the slab with the evaporation retarder. This old guy I was working with, been doing concrete for like 40 years, just shook his head and told me to wet the subgrade the night before instead of dumping water on top during the pour. Said it keeps the mix from drying out from underneath (which I never really thought about). So I tried it and the slab didnt spiderweb crack like the one I did the month before. Anyone else use that method or do you just stick with the spray-on stuff?
Guy walks past my driveway job in Spokane and says 'you're dragging too slow, that's why it's tearing.' Dropped my speed from like 2 feet per second down to 1 foot. First try came out glass smooth. Anyone else get handed a tip that cut their rookie mistakes in half?
I got a used power trowel for $150 and figured I'd try it on a 10x12 patio pour. The slab was too small to maneuver and I ended up with a bunch of swirl marks I had to hand finish anyway. Next time I'll stick to the hand float for anything under 200 square feet. Has anyone else found a minimum size where power trowels actually work?