TIL my bull float technique was actually making the surface worse

I was finishing a garage slab in Tempe last week, and the homeowner pointed out these weird, shallow dips in the surface after I'd left. I went back and watched a guy on YouTube who said pushing the float instead of pulling it can trap bleed water underneath (which makes sense now). I've been pushing for like five years, thinking it gave me more control. Has anyone else had to unlearn a basic move like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

kelly.nora5d ago

How long did it take you to break the habit? I was a pusher too, thought it smoothed things out better. Watched that same video last month and felt like an idiot. Now I drag it and the finish is way more even.

ellis.hayden5d ago

Took me a solid month of fighting the muscle memory. Every time I'd get tired, my arm would just go back to pushing like it was on autopilot. The real eye-opener was seeing how much cleaner the edges got when I dragged, no more of that weird bunching at the seams. It feels wrong at first because you're not forcing it, but the tool does the work if you let it. Honestly felt like I had to relearn the whole motion from scratch.

the_sam1d ago

My buddy Dave had the same problem. He actually taped a note to his tool that said "DRAG DUMBASS" for like six weeks straight. Said the tape glue messed up the handle but it finally broke the push habit.