Been finishing concrete for 12 years and just figured out I was overworking my edges

I had a moment last summer on a driveway job in Phoenix that made me feel like a total rookie. I was spending way too long going over the edges with my margin trowel, trying to get them glass smooth, and my buddy who's been doing this since the 80s just watched me for like 10 minutes. He finally says "you're working the cream to death, let the mix do its thing." Turns out I was dragging all the fines away from the form and basically making the edge weak and crumbly. Now I just hit it once or twice and walk away, and the finish comes out way better with less effort. Anyone else have a basic technique they did backwards for years before someone corrected em?

3 comments

3 Comments

spencer_coleman1mo ago

Respectfully, I think you're overthinking it cause a light touch on the edges never hurt nobody.

mary_west1mo ago

Reminds me of people who swear by "just this one cigarette" at parties like it won't lead to a pack-a-day habit by next month. Call me crazy but humans are really bad at doing things in moderation once we decide the rules are flexible. But hey, your mileage may vary and maybe you're one of the lucky ones who can eat just one chip.

tara6421mo ago

spencer_coleman brought up a good point about light touches not causing harm, but there is a bigger issue here nobody is talking about. People build habits over time, and even small touches add up in ways you don't notice until it is too late. A soft tap on the edges today becomes a harder push tomorrow because the boundary gets blurry. It is like eating one chip off a plate at a party then suddenly standing over an empty bowl. The real problem is that once you start normalizing those small contacts, the rules get rewritten without anyone agreeing to it. @spencer_coleman, your point works in theory but ignores how human nature actually plays out in practice.