Appreciation post: That old crew in St. Louis who showed me broom finish timing

Watched a commercial garage floor get finished near the Arch last week and the foreman called out the exact second to start brooming based on how the sun hit the slab. Saved me from guessing and I got a way more even texture. Has anyone else picked up tricks just from watching other crews work?

2 comments

2 Comments

vera_roberts14d ago

Used to roll my eyes at those old-timers, but watching them read a slab changed everything for me.

noraj7914d ago

and that's the thing about watching old school crews, they've got this almost sixth sense for reading concrete. I remember seeing a guy in Kansas City who would spit on the slab to check if it was sweating enough for a smooth finish, which sounds gross but actually works really well if you pay attention. The sun and wind are the biggest factors nobody talks about enough, like how a south facing slab will set way faster in the afternoon than a north facing one because of the heat reflection off the ground. Another trick I picked up was watching a crew use a garden hose to mist the edges where the concrete was drying faster, just a light spray not a full soak, to keep it all even. It's the little details like that you only catch by standing there and watching, not from reading a manual or watching a video.