This old timer in a Kansas City supply yard called my finishing 'pretty' and I'm still mad about it.

I was picking up a load of fiber mesh about six months ago and got to talking with a guy who must have been pushing 70. He saw my truck and asked what I was working on. I told him about a big patio job with a broom finish. He looked me dead in the eye and said, 'Kid, a broom finish ain't supposed to be pretty, it's supposed to grip.' He said he could tell by my tools I was trying to make perfect lines instead of thinking about someone walking on it in the rain. It stuck with me because he was right. I was too focused on the look. Has anyone else had a simple comment completely shift how you approach a basic part of the job?

3 comments

3 Comments

nina_jenkins16d ago

Man, that would have wrecked me. I spent a whole summer trying to get my broom lines to look like a perfect zen garden before my boss asked if I was training to be a hair stylist instead of a concrete guy.

the_anthony8d ago

What's the actual point of perfect broom lines? @nina_jenkins, your boss had it right. That stuff just gets walked on or driven over. It seems like a waste of effort to make it pretty when the real job is making it flat and strong. Getting too focused on looks can make you miss the practical stuff that matters. I'd rather have a solid slab that lasts than a fancy one that cracks.

leelewis15d ago

Oh man, my buddy had a similar wake-up call. He was obsessed with getting the cleanest cut on laminate, until a client pointed out his perfect seams were trapping water and swelling. Totally changed his focus.