That old concrete guy who yelled at me for using too much water

I was on a driveway pour last Tuesday in Austin and this older finisher named Ray came over from the next job site. He watched me mix a batch and told me straight up, 'you're drowning the mix, it's gonna dust in six months.' Honestly, he was right, I was adding extra water cause it was hot out but he showed me how using a spray mist instead changes everything. Has anyone else had a veteran just walk up and call them out on something basic like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_alice11d ago

Ray sounds like the kind of guy who's seen it all and isn't shy about it. Reminds me of the time an old mason caught me using a wet saw with a dull blade and just shook his head until I figured it out myself. Made me feel about two feet tall but he was right. Sometimes the little tricks like that mist spray make all the difference between a job that holds up and one that flakes off before the warranty even kicks in.

grace_knight1910d ago

The thing about that old mason's approach though, he might have been making a point about efficiency over babying the blade. Running a wet saw with a dull blade wastes water and time, but the real cost is the sloppy cut that leaves a ragged edge for the mortar to grab onto. Sometimes the "right" way of doing something isn't about feel, it's about the numbers, and that mist spray trick is just a bandaid on a bad cut.

laura_black11d ago

Did you ever think maybe that extra water was actually keeping the mix workable for proper finishing in the Texas heat? I've seen guys go too dry and get a crust before they can even float it...