Watched a guy use a push broom to finish a walkway and honestly thought he was crazy

I was sure it was gonna leave a mess but he walked away with a perfect broom finish in half the time I take with a hand float. Has anyone else seen this shortcut actually work or did I just catch a one-off lucky day?

2 comments

2 Comments

christopher_west128d ago

I tried it once after watching a guy do it on a job site and honestly thought he was just being lazy. Grabbed a dry push broom on a wide walkway and gave it a light sweep right after pouring, just like he did. Worked way better than I expected, the finish came out smooth with perfect broom lines that looked clean and even. The trick is to keep the broom clean and work fast before the concrete sets too much. I still use a hand float for small patches but for long straight runs, the broom is what I grab now.

joseph44828d ago

Hang on, isn't a dry broom just gonna leave dust streaks in the wet concrete? I've seen guys try that and it scrubs the surface instead of making clean lines, especially if you're not fast enough. A wet broom seems like the safer bet, at least you can rinse it off between passes. Maybe your mix was just wetter than mine, but I've had dry bristles grab and tear the finish before the concrete even set up.