Had a talk with an old foreman that made me rethink my whole finishing approach

I was bitching to this foreman named Frank about a slab that kept cracking on me despite doing everything by the book. He just looked at me and said 'you're troweling too early every time, just wait longer and let it set.' I thought he was full of it because I've been finishing for 8 years now. But I tried his method on a big driveway job last Tuesday near Austin, waited an extra 45 minutes before the final pass, and the surface came out glass smooth with zero checking. Turns out I was rushing because I hate standing around doing nothing. Now I bring a chair and just sit there watching it cure like Frank does. Has anyone else had an old timer tell you something that went against everything you thought you knew?

3 comments

3 Comments

val_williams27d ago

Ain't that the truth though?

grace_campbell27d ago

Yeah "ain't that the truth though" pretty much sums up my whole week lol. @val_williams you nailed it because I feel like people just nod along to stuff without really thinking about what it means half the time. It reminds me of that saying about how common sense isn't really that common anymore, you know? Like you can say something basic and someone will still argue with you just to be difficult. Anyway, glad I'm not the only one who noticed this pattern.

morgan_martinez27d ago

That whole "argue just to argue" thing wears me out too. I swear some people decide what they think based on who said it rather than what was actually said, which makes having a real conversation next to impossible.