Pro tip: My finisher told me my edges looked like a 5 year old did them, so I switched from a standard edger to a 3/4 inch radius edger.

Took me three driveways in Denver to get the hang of it, but now my edges are clean enough that the homeowner actually complimented them instead of complaining - anyone else have a tool swap that fixed a specific problem like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

iris_davis901mo ago

Hold on, a finisher actually said your edges looked like a 5 year old did them? That's a little harsh, don't you think? I guess some people take this stuff super seriously, but I see guys leaving edges that look like crap all the time and nobody's calling them out like that. Maybe switching tools worked for you, but I bet half the battle is just getting your angle right and having a steady hand, not the tool itself. And to answer your other question, no, I don't think a new trowel or edger is going to magically fix everything if you're still rushing or not paying attention. People get way too hung up on the gear when they should just slow down and learn the basics first.

abby_black1mo ago

Wait, did you have to mess with the angle of your saw too or was it just a straight swap? I had a similar thing happen but with a trowel for brickwork, not concrete. I was using this old beat up margin trowel for years and my joints always looked sloppy. Then I picked up a fancy new one with a curved handle at a garage sale for like two bucks and suddenly my lines were straight as an arrow. It was wild how much the tool was holding me back, lol. Now I'm paranoid that everything I own is the wrong size for the job.

kevin_dixon1mo ago

Honestly abby's right about the wrong tool holding you back I had a similar breakthrough with a 1/4 inch notching trowel for tile.