TIL a broom finish can hide a lot of sins on a sidewalk pour

I stopped by that new apartment complex going up on Elm Street last week and watched their crew do a big sidewalk section. Honestly I used to think broom finishes were just for traction and nothing else. But I saw how they handled a couple rough edges and a minor low spot - the broom texture just swallowed it all up. Now I'm thinking about using a heavier broom on my next driveway job instead of fighting for perfection. Any of you guys rely on texture to cover up small mistakes?

2 comments

2 Comments

phoenix2914d ago

Broom finish can hide a lot of sins" - that's the truth. My neighbor poured his own patio last summer and got a big leaf stuck right in the middle. He left it there, broomed around it, and now it just looks like a decorative pattern. Nobody even notices unless he points it out. I've definitely used a stiff broom to smooth over some ugly edges before and it works better than you'd think. Kind of makes you wonder why we stress so much about perfect trowel work when a $10 broom does the same job.

ben66214d ago

Haha, that leaf story is gold! @phoenix29 you're totally right about the broom doing the heavy lifting. I had a buddy who accidentally left his trowel marks all over a small walkway he was doing. He hit it with a stiff broom while it was still wet and you can't even tell it was supposed to be smooth. Now it looks like he planned a non-slip surface on purpose. Honestly, half the time I think we overthink the finish when a quick broom drag saves the day.