PSA: a retired finisher told me to stop using water to smooth my edges and it changed my whole finish

I was doing a garage floor last Tuesday in Phoenix and an old guy named Jerry was watching me work. He saw me dipping my edger in the bucket every 2 passes and just shook his head. He said "you're washing the cream off the surface, let the concrete do the work". I thought he was nuts but I tried it dry on the next section. The edges came out way tighter and darker. No more water streaks. Has anyone else tried this or is it just bad advice for certain mixes?

3 comments

3 Comments

hart.cora27d ago

Honestly Jerry was right and I'll die on that hill. I switched to dry edging on my last three flatwork jobs and the finish came out way more uniform. Water just washes the fines off the surface before they can set. You get that chalky light patch every time. It takes a little more arm work to keep the pressure even but the color payoff is worth it. Try it on a small test patch before you commit though because some hot mixes actually need that water to keep from tearing.

carr.gavin26d ago

Yeah that chalky light patch is exactly what I kept getting before switching over. @hart.cora hit the nail on the head about the fines washing off, I've had way better color depth ever since I stopped wetting the edge first.

the_xena26d ago

Totally been there. That chalky patch drove me nuts for months before someone told me the same thing.