Tried a plastic trowel on a broom finish last Tuesday and the whole slab went slick on me
I was pouring a 12 by 20 patio out in Mesa and figured I would try that plastic trowel everyone keeps talking about to save my shoulder some work. Wound up burnishing the surface so smooth the broom dragged instead of cutting, and the homeowner came out and said it looked like glass. I had to redo the finish on half of it before it set up, which put me an hour behind. Lesson learned, plastic stays off broom work for me. Anyone else had one of those try it and regret it moments on a pour?
That "broom dragged instead of cutting" part is exactly the problem, but I don't blame the plastic trowel for it. The trowel only does what your timing lets it do. If you get on the broom too late, the cream's already closing up, and no trowel on earth is gonna save that finish. Plastic just makes it happen faster, so you gotta shorten that window and broom sooner.