That big box store pour spec changed my whole finish routine

I used to think burnishing early was the way to get that glassy look. Then last month I did a slab for a warehouse in Fort Worth, and their inspector stopped me mid-pour. He told me to back off the finish until the bleed water was gone, and showed me how the cream was still rising on the trowel. I re-did a small test patch letting it sit 20 extra minutes, and the surface came out way harder and smoother. Ever since, I've been timing my final pass by the sheen, not the clock. It slowed me down at first, but the reject rate dropped to zero on that job. Anyone else changed their timing after a client's spec forced the issue?

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milaprice2mo ago

Heard a podcast about sheen timing, made total sense once I tried it.

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the_piper2mo ago

Timing really is the secret that nobody talks about enough. Once I started watching for that tiny shift in the surface, everything clicked into place. Your mileage may vary, but it beats guessing every single time.

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