Old timer at the job site showed me a trick with a broom

I was finishing a driveway in Akron last summer and a guy who's been pouring since the 70s walked up and told me to wet my broom before dragging it. He said dry bristles leave chatter marks that show up after curing, and sure enough my last job had those lines I couldn't figure out. Anyone else ever get advice from a random stranger that actually fixed a problem you were having?

2 comments

2 Comments

derek_dixon782d ago

Oh man, that broom trick is gold. I had a similar thing happen a few years back with my driveway at home. I mixed up a batch of concrete and poured a small pad for my grill, and this old fella who was walking his dog stopped and told me to use a rubber mallet on the sides of the forms to settle the mix instead of jabbing at it with a shovel. I had always just stabbed at it like a dummy, and my pads always had these little air pockets and rough spots. Used the mallet trick the next time and it came out smooth as a tabletop. Stuff like that from the old timers is priceless, they've already made all the mistakes so we don't have to.

williams.amy2d ago

The wet broom trick works and I learned something similar from a retired mason who saw me struggling with a stiff brush on a patio pour. He told me to dip the broom in a bucket of water first and give it a few hard shakes to loosen the bristles, and it made the final texture way more even than my dry attempts. Little tips like that from seasoned guys are the real secret to getting clean work.