Am I the only one who sees guys skipping the broom finish on exterior flatwork?

I keep seeing new sidewalks and patios around town that are just troweled smooth, with no broom texture at all. That's a slip hazard waiting to happen when it gets wet, especially with morning dew. How do you convince a crew to take the extra five minutes for safety?

3 comments

3 Comments

gonzalez.anna3mo agoTop Commenter

Seriously, just show them a video of someone wiping out.

webb.val1mo ago

Yeah that's a good point about the power troweling making it even worse, but I don't think it's always done on purpose. Maybe it's just me but some crews are just rushing through the whole process and forget the broom altogether because they're focused on getting the finish smooth. The broom step is so quick though, like 30 seconds with a stiff broom and you're done. I mean, I've watched guys spend 10 minutes troweling a slab to get it glassy and then walk away with no texture at all. Doesn't make sense to me.

sarahsullivan3mo ago

Ugh, it drives me nuts. They're not just skipping the broom finish, they're often power troweling it to a slick sheen. That's like an ice rink after a light rain. I've seen more than one person take a spill on a "finished" walkway like that.