Broom finish vs swirl finish on a driveway job last week

I finally tested broom finish against swirl finish on two side-by-side driveways last week in Phoenix. The broom finish took half the time to do but the swirl finish handled the 110 degree heat way better without cracking. My client liked the look of swirl better too so I guess I'm sticking with that for summer jobs. Anyone else find broom finish falls apart in extreme heat?

3 comments

3 Comments

alexk6026d ago

Heard a contractor talk about this at a concrete supply place last month. Said the swirl finish lets the surface breathe more in heat, keeps it from trapping the expansion stress.

casey68226d ago

Nah, concrete doesn't really "breathe" like that. The swirl pattern is mostly for traction and hiding tool marks, not stress relief from heat. Expansion joints are what handle the stress.

the_jessica26d ago

Gotta push back a little on this whole "the surface breathes" thing (sorry Alex). Concrete is concrete. It doesn't take deep breaths no matter how you finish it. The real reason swirl handles heat better is probably just that the ridges give a tiny bit more surface area for the water to escape during curing. Broom finish can trap moisture under those deep lines in extreme temps (especially in Phoenix where it's a dry heat that just bakes everything). I'd still say expansion joints and proper curing are doing 99% of the work here, not the pattern itself.