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A 30-year finisher told me my broom finish was too aggressive, and I was ruining the slab
I was working a driveway job in Spokane last spring and this old timer just walks up and watches me for like 10 minutes. I was proud of my work, got a nice even finish with a medium broom. He goes "you're gonna grind that top layer right off in 2 years with that broom." Said I was using too stiff of a broom and pushing too hard. He showed me how to let the weight of the broom do the work and use a softer bristle. I switched to a horsehair broom after that and the difference in the final look was huge. Way smoother surface, still has grip but won't flake. Anyone else get told they were overworking a finish?
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derekward17d ago
Whoa hold on, I gotta disagree hard here. Honestly, I've been finishing slabs for years and a stiff broom gives you way better long term grip. I did a buddy's driveway in Portland with a soft horsehair and last winter it turned into a complete ice rink, he almost busted his head. A little texture from a stiff broom locks in the aggregate better and stops the surface from polishing out over time. Ngl, that "cream layer" stuff sounds like old wives' tale to me, I've seen stiff broom jobs hold up for over a decade with no flaking.
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I used to think a stiffer broom meant better traction, but I changed my mind after a job in Boise. A customer showed me their driveway from 6 years ago that still looked new with a fine finish. They told me the same thing, that heavy bristles just scrape off the cream layer. Does a softer broom really hold up in wet winters without getting slick?
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