Warning: I spent 2 years troweling wet concrete wrong on big slabs near Austin

I always started my finish from the edges because that's how my old boss showed me, but last month a guy from the local union hall pointed out I was trapping air under the surface that way. He said to start from the middle and work out to let the bleed water escape naturally. Has anyone else switched their troweling direction and seen a difference in surface durability?

3 comments

3 Comments

grantw3212d ago

Yeah man, I switched to starting from the middle about a year ago after dealing with some weird surface pitting. That trapped air and bleed water was definitely causing weak spots. My slabs look tighter now and hold up better in the heat.

janarivera12d ago

Middle start is the way to go. Been doing it for years now and never going back. The surface quality difference is night and day, especially with colored mixes. That pitting issue disappeared completely for me once I switched.

roberts9512d ago

Yeah middle start changed everything for me too.