Old timer on a job in Austin showed me a broom finish trick I still use

I was working a big driveway pour in Austin about 3 years ago. This guy who must have been 70 came over and watched me struggling with the broom. He said 'you're pushing too hard and wetting the surface back out.' He grabbed the broom and showed me to let the weight of the handle do the work and never go back over a pass. He told me to keep a spray bottle of water on my belt to mist the broom bristles every 3 or 4 passes. That one tip saved me from redoing a whole slab because of drag marks. I still think about that every time I finish a flat surface. Has anyone else had a random guy on site teach them something that simple?

3 comments

3 Comments

paigep2020d agoMost Upvoted

Honestly that's how most good advice works. It's always some random person showing you a tiny thing you've been overcomplicating.

oscar_ellis20d ago

Pulling from my own experience, totally get this. I spent three months trying to fix a leaky faucet and watched like ten YouTube tutorials, then my neighbor Dad came over and just wiggled a washer a quarter turn. Fixed in thirty seconds. Makes you feel dumb but also relieved it was that simple. It's always the little things you miss.

kai_butler8320d ago

Wait, three months on a leaky faucet? That's wild, man. I have to ask, were you charging that neighbor for plumbing lessons or what? Seriously though, I can't believe you didn't just Google "stubborn faucet washer" after week one. I'd be ready to throw the whole sink out the window by day three. But hey, at least now you know the secret handshake of the plumbing world.