The day I stopped overworking my slab edges like an idiot

I was finishing a driveway in Tulsa last spring and this old-timer just watches me for a minute. He points at my edge work and says 'you're chasing a shadow, son.' I had been going at those edges with a hand float like 6 or 7 times before the final set. Turns out all that extra fussing was actually pulling fines to the surface and making the edges weak and crumbly. Now I do 2 passes max and they come out way cleaner. Has anyone else had that moment where you realized you were doing extra work for worse results?

3 comments

3 Comments

kimreed20d ago

Idk man, I mean you're saying 'chasing a shadow' but I've had the opposite problem with slab edges where if I don't hit them enough times the gravel shows through and they look rough. Maybe it's just me but I think there's a middle ground between 2 passes and 7, especially if the mix is a little on the dry side.

price.tara20d ago

Yeah my buddy was doing the same thing on his patio last summer, went over the edges probably 8 times because he thought they needed to be glass smooth. By the time the concrete cured he had this weird dusty layer peeling off the edges while the middle was fine. He said it was like the surface was separating from the rest of the slab.

phoenix_carter15d ago

Yeah, I'm gonna push back on the "chasing a shadow" thing a bit (respectfully). If the mix is a little sandy or you're working in hot weather, 2 passes is actually how you end up with edges that look like a gravel road had a baby with a sidewalk. I've seen guys rush edges and end up with pops and chips a year later because the paste never properly encased the aggregate on the margin. There's a difference between overworking and actually getting the surface closed up.