Took me 6 years to realize I was overworking my concrete edges with too much water.

I was always fighting to get a smooth finish on curbs until I watched a old timer on a job in Austin just barely mist his and walk away. Which side are you on - keeping it wet or letting it set up a bit before finishing?

3 comments

3 Comments

laura_chen411mo ago

Used to be on team "keep it wet" all the way, thought I was doing something smart. Then a buddy had me do a test slab where I left it alone for 20 minutes before even touching it, no extra water. The difference in surface strength was ridiculous, like night and day. Now I just let it set up until my finger barely dents it, then do a quick mist if the sun is beating down.

gray_morgan1mo ago

...and honestly that "gentle mist" thing is the part people get wrong most of the time. They see a little water and think more is better, but really you're just washing the cream right off the surface. If you keep it too wet you're basically making a weak layer that'll dust off in a year. Let it firm up some, then hit it with a light spray if you need to, but don't soak it. Tbh the best finish I ever got was when I got distracted and came back like 15 minutes later than I planned.

paige_owens51mo ago

So you're saying my whole "more water=better" strategy is wrong? Groundbreaking.