max472•1d ago

I actually prefer a rough broom finish over smooth trowel work for driveways

I went to look at a job my cousin did over in Columbus last month, a big residential driveway, and he left it with a heavy broom finish. Everyone I work with keeps saying smooth troweled drives are the only way to go for curb appeal, but honestly I think they are missing the point. That broom texture gave me way better traction walking on it when it was a little damp, and my cousin told me he has never had a single call back about slipping or ice buildup in 6 years. I know it's not as pretty as a polished or hard trowel surface, but I live in Ohio where winter is real and people want safety. Has anyone else found a happy medium between looks and grip on a sloped driveway?

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casey_torres601d ago

Tbh I ended up doing a medium broom finish on my own driveway after fighting with ice on a troweled one for two winters. The trick my buddy showed me was using a soft bristle broom and running it only one direction, same line every pass, so the texture looks clean and not messy. It still gives you that grip when things get slick but doesn't scream "I gave up halfway" like some rough broomed jobs I've seen. On a sloped driveway, I'd take function over fancy any day cause nobody cares about smooth finish when they're sliding sideways.