c/concrete-finishers

My magnesium float bowed on a hot day in Tulsa

Last July I was finishing a 2,000 square foot garage floor and my magnesium float started warping about halfway through. The heat was around 95 and the sun was beating down on the slab. I kept getting these weird lines in the surface no matter how I adjusted my angle. Turns out the float had a slight bend from sitting in my truck bed all morning. I switched to my steel float and the finish came out fine, but I lost about 40 minutes grinding out the marks. How many of you check your floats for warping before you start, especially in summer? Has anyone else had a tool bend just from heat exposure in the truck?

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jenniferw82•3d ago

Met a guy in Biloxi who troweled 40 years without ever using a power trowel

I was on a strip mall pour last month in Biloxi and this older fella, must have been mid 60s, was hand floating the whole slab like it was nothing. We were using a 36 inch power trowel and he just laughed and said he never trusted machines because they hide the feel of the mix. He showed me how he reads the bleed water by the color change and where the soft spots are by the drag. That made me think about how much I lean on the equipment instead of my own senses. He finished his section 10 minutes slower than me but his surface had zero bird baths. Anyone else ever run into an old timer who makes you question your whole setup?

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lane.cameron•5d ago

Tried a magnesium float on a garage slab in Phoenix

Usually stick with wood floats for the final pass. Swapped to magnesium on a 400 sq ft pour last week. Surface came out way tighter, almost no drag. Anyone else switch floats depending on the mix temp?

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emmaallen•6d ago

Old broom handle trick saved my curb job

Got a weird one for you guys. Last Tuesday I was finishing a walkway in Phoenix and my magnesium float snapped right in the middle of the pour. I had nothing else on the truck, so I grabbed a busted broom handle I use to prop open the mixer chute and taped the float head to it with duct tape. It worked like a charm, even got the job done before the sun cooked it. Anyone else ever rig up a tool with junk when you're in a pinch?

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andrew_rodriguez•7d ago

I finally learned why my edges kept cracking, it was the mix design all along

Last month I was pouring a small sidewalk in Tulsa and the edges kept spidering on me no matter how careful I was with the float. I figured it was the heat or my timing, so I called my buddy who runs a lab and he pulled the ticket. Turns out the slump was way higher than what I asked for, 6 inches instead of 4, because the plant added water to make the truck go faster. He showed me the ASTM curve about water to cement ratio and how it directly hits flexural strength, and that explained every cracked edge I'd blamed on myself for two years. Now I check the batch ticket before the driver leaves the chute and I call the plant if it's off. Has anyone else dealt with a ready mix plant sneaking in extra water on hot days? What do you do to catch it early before you've already poured?

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ellis.mia•12d ago

Pro tip: the 2x4 trick for deep pours that saved my slab

Back in March on a job over in Lancaster, we had a 6 inch slab that kept slumping no matter how we pulled it. My old foreman used to swear by dropping a 2x4 flat on the forms before the final pass, and I finally tried it on a whim. It gave the surface something to ride against and cut my bull float time by almost half. Anyone else use a straightedge like that for thick pours, or am I behind the times?

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aaronclark•13d ago

A rainy morning in Tulsa changed my curing game for good

Last month I was on a driveway pour outside Tulsa and the forecast called for rain overnight. I always covered with plastic, but a foreman named Dale told me to use wet burlap instead, then damp sand on top. That one move kept the surface from dusting and saved me a call-back the next week. Has anyone else switched from plastic to burlap for curing in humid weather?

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mia748•16d ago

Overheard a guy say to use wet burlap on hot days, game changer

I was at a supply yard in Tulsa and this old timer told me he keeps damp burlap on fresh slabs when it's 95 plus, cuts down the crusting before you even get to finish. Tried it on a patio pour yesterday and the texture held way better, anyone else do this or just use curing compound?

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the_patricia•17d ago

That wet screed trick from a job in Nashville just bit me hard

Tried using a long 2x4 to screed a 30 foot slab last Tuesday and the board bowed mid pull, left a low spot you could see from the street. Anyone else quit on hand screeding and go straight to a laser level for anything over 20 feet?

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reesea49•18d ago

My power trowel threw a blade at 7am on a Tuesday pour

Piece of the blade guard snapped clean off and hit the form before I even got the machine leveled, so I ran it manual with a hand float for the rest of that 40-yard slab and now my wrist is paying for it, anyone else had a machine let go at the worst possible moment?

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fox.derek•18d ago

The day I realized my bull float technique was backwards after 12 years

Was doing a warehouse slab in Columbus last Tuesday and this old timer leaned over the forms and said 'you're pushing, should be pulling on the float.' I'd been pushing the bull float away from me the whole time thinking it helped close the surface, but he showed me a test patch and the difference in the cream was night and day. Anyone else ever figure out they'd been fighting the tools for a decade plus?

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troy832•20d ago

Older guy at the supply yard told me to wet the forms, glad I listened

Some retired finisher at the ProBuild in Kansas City said if I wet the plywood forms right before the pour, it stops them from sucking moisture out of the mud and creating those dry spots on the edges. I tried it on a 400 square foot patio last Friday and the edge finish came out way smoother, no dusting or chalking on the border. Has anyone else done this or is it more of a regional thing?

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phoenix_thompson4•20d ago

That 112 degree pour in Phoenix changed my whole setup

Last July we had a slab job in Mesa and the concrete was setting up before we could even finish bull floating. I always fought the sun with wet burlap and shade screens, but that day I was losing bad, cream was gone in like 20 minutes. One of the older guys on the crew said to mix in some ice chunks right at the plant, not just cold water, and it gave us an extra 15 minutes of workable time. I thought he was nuts but we tried it on the next pour and it was night and day. Now I always call the batch plant ahead when it's over 105 and ask for the ice option, costs like an extra $12 a yard but saves the whole day. Watching that crew finish smooth instead of fighting crusty edges made me a believer. Has anyone else tried adding ice during a heat wave, or do you just adjust your schedule around the heat?

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jesse994•22d ago

Bought a $600 power trowel blade setup, but my old $40 hand float did the job better

Spent the cash on those fancy replaceable blades for a big warehouse slab last month and they left swirl marks all over, then I went back to the basic magnesium hand float for the edges and it actually looked cleaner, has anyone else ditched expensive gear for the cheap stuff when the finish matters?

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irismartinez•22d ago

Drove 40 miles for a hand trowel, my old bull float was the problem

I mean, I've been finishing for 5 years in Tucson and always blamed my knees for the poor broom finish, turns out my bull float was warped this whole time. Picked up a magnesium one from a guy off Craigslist in Mesa and it's like night and day, has anyone else had a weird tool swap fix something they thought was a technique issue?

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lilykelly•24d ago

The dollar store sponge trick for wet curing blew my mind in Phoenix

I spent 2 summers fighting spider cracks on my flatwork until a foreman on a big box store slab told me to shove cheap sponges under the poly sheeting to hold moisture against the surface, and after trying it on one driveway for 5 days the difference in finish texture was crazy obvious, anyone else do something nonstandard for curing conditions?

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oliviagrant•28d ago

Update: That $400 power trowel blade I was mad about

I bought a set of those expensive Kwik-Trowel blades back in April. Thought I got scammed after the first slab because they left lines everywhere. Turns out I just didn't break them in right. After about 500 square feet they started gliding smooth. Now I get a way better finish than the cheap blades ever gave me. Anybody else have a tool that took way longer than expected to work right?

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kaid59•1mo ago

Pro tip: that $200 epoxy kit from the big box store left me with a mess

I bought a cheap epoxy kit from Home Depot to do my garage floor last month thinking I'd save money. But it peeled right up after only three weeks in the heat, so I'm out $200 and have to grind the whole thing down again. Has anyone else had better luck with cheaper brands or is it worth just paying for the good stuff from a supply house?

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emery_lopez•1mo ago

Old timer on a resi pour changed how I look at hand troweling

I was working a small garage slab in Phoenix last month and this guy pushing 70 comes over from the next job site. He watched me run my power trowel over a tricky edge and just shook his head. Said I was relying too much on the machine and missing the feel of the concrete. He showed me how he hand trowels with a slight curve to his wrist, letting the steel float natural instead of forcing it flat. I tried his way on the next section and damn if the surface didn't come out way smoother with less bullseyes. Made me realize I been skipping the basics for years just cause I got a nice tool. Anyone else had a moment where some old school trick totally humbled your process?

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grant_allen85•1mo ago

Poured a 40 foot curb last Thursday and it came out dead level first try

After 3 years of fighting with forms that always seemed to shift, I finally got everything braced right and the concrete flowed perfectly, what's your go-to trick for keeping long runs straight?

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the_parker•1mo ago

Vent: that debate about broom finishes at the supply shop Tuesday really got me

Guy at the counter goes "broom finish is for amateurs who can't trowel" like it's some kind of insult. I've been doing driveways in Phoenix for 12 years and some clients literally ask for that texture so they don't slip when it's 110 out. He said he's never done a broom job in 20 years of finishing. Told him maybe he just works indoors. Has anyone else run into this kind of gatekeeping over basic techniques?

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reesea49•1mo ago

Warning: That blade oil hack ruined my finish

I saw a bunch of guys online saying to spray wd-40 on your trowel blades to keep the concrete from sticking during hot weather. Tried it on a driveway pour in Phoenix last August, about 95 degrees. The concrete was setting fast so I figured it would help. Nope. The oil left weird dark splotches all over the surface that didn't fade even after curing. Owner had us grind it down and reseal, cost me $400 in time and materials. Learned my lesson: stick to plain water on the blades if you need anti-stick. Has anyone else had a bad result with oil-based stuff on fresh concrete?

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anderson.david•1mo ago

Drove by a new subdivision in Phoenix and noticed all the driveways had control joints cut way too deep

I was passing through a new build neighborhood near Surprise, Arizona last Tuesday, and every single driveway had control joints that looked like they were cut nearly half the slab depth. A couple of them already had small cracks running from the joint corners after just 3 months of curing. Has anyone else seen this issue with contractors going overboard on joint depth lately?

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joseph_torres•1mo ago

Debate: Wet cure vs. seal and forget for driveways

I had a debate with a guy in Denver last week who swears by soaking burlap for 7 days straight, says it prevents all surface cracking. But my crew in Phoenix just sprays on a curing compound and walks away - no issues in 3 years. Which method holds up better in your experience - long wet cure or just sealing it?

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hannahk19•1mo ago

Vent: That broom finish I did last August looked terrible after the first freeze

I used a cheap magnesium float and the surface came out way too rough, then water got into the pores and spalled off 3 months later in Denver. What trowel or float are you guys using for a smooth broom finish that actually holds up?

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