Caught my crew using a spray bottle for final pass, now I'm split on it

Last month on a garage floor pour in Tulsa, one of my guys pulled out a spray bottle full of water and started misting the surface before the final trowel pass. I almost lost it, old school habit says you never add water after the bleed water is gone. But he showed me the result after it cured, no checking, no birdbaths, and a smoother finish than I get with a steel trowel alone. Problem is, I've seen too many guys overwater a slab and turn the cream to paste, then you get dusting or a weak surface that peels in a year. I tried it myself last week on a small patio pour, maybe one light mist over eight yards, and it did help the trowel glide without dragging. But I'm not convinced it's not just masking a timing problem, like we should have waited longer before finishing. Has anyone else played with this on structural slabs, or am I letting a guy who watches too many YouTube videos talk me into a bad habit? My gut says it's a rescue tool, not a standard move, but the results keep nagging at me.

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miles_grant354d ago

One mist over eight yards is rounding error, not a bad habit.

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