TIL a foreman told me my finish was too smooth for a driveway

I was working a residential job in Phoenix last summer and this old foreman comes over, looks at my work, and says it's too smooth. He said people need some texture or they'll slip when it's wet. I always thought a mirror finish was the goal but he showed me how he does a light broom finish instead. Has anyone else had a customer or boss complain about a finish being too good for the job?

2 comments

2 Comments

eva_gibson5d ago

Does the broom finish actually hold up over time or does it wear down smooth eventually?

jamiekim12d ago

Oh boy, I gotta gently push back on something here. A mirror smooth finish is really not the goal for concrete driveways, and your foreman was actually right to call that out. Smooth finishes are for indoor floors or countertops where you're not walking in the rain. On a driveway, that slick surface turns into an ice rink when it gets wet, and people fall hard. A light broom finish gives just enough grip without looking rough. You definitely don't want someone to slip and sue you over a driveway that looks too pretty to walk on.