charlescraig•18d agoProlific Poster

Finished my first pour at the new VA hospital in Denver yesterday

Got a 20x30 slab down to a mirror finish with a 10-foot magnesium float. Had a guy from another crew show me a trick using a damp sponge before the final pass and it cut down on my pitting by a ton. Anyone else got weird little tricks for the last pass?

3 comments

3 Comments

spencer98118d ago

So you're telling me there's a way to get a mirror finish without having to lick the concrete first? That sponge trick sounds like a cheat code man. I've been out there with a damp rag on a stick like some kind of medieval peasant. Now I gotta go buy a spray bottle and pretend I'm watering a lawn instead of finishing concrete.

michael66918d agoMost Upvoted

That damp sponge trick works good but I found out the hard way you gotta wring it out almost dry. Too much water and you get these little craters that show up after it cures. I started using a old spray bottle with a fine mist instead, just a light fog over the surface before the float pass. Cuts down on drag too without messing with the cream.

vera_robinson3618d ago

And that spray bottle trick works until the nozzle clogs on you mid-pour. I swapped to one of those cheap pump garden sprayers you see at the hardware store. Set it to the finest mist and it lays down an even coat without any drips. Just gotta make sure you hose it out good after or the minerals from the water clog it up too.