PSA: A homeowner's complaint made me change my finish technique

Last month I was finishing a patio slab in Austin and this guy kept saying my broom finish looked like 'a cheap parking lot.' I was annoyed at first, but I looked closer and he had a point. The lines were too uniform and deep from me using a stiff bristle brush. Now I switched to a medium bristle and vary my pressure slightly as I go. Has anyone else had a client call them out on something that actually improved their work?

2 comments

2 Comments

ruby4501mo ago

I read an article in Fine Homebuilding a few years back that said parking lot brooming has bristles set really stiff and close together, which is why it looks so uniform and rough. For patios they recommended a medium bristle with some variation in pressure to give it a more natural, hand done look. Sounds like you figured that out the hard way but it probably turned out better in the end.

riley_west1mo ago

Wait, does the broom bristle length matter just as much as how stiff they are? I mean, I've seen guys at the hardware store grabbing brooms without even looking at the bristle length, just picking whatever's cheapest. For something like a patio where you want those subtle lines, wouldn't a longer bristle give you more control over how deep the texture goes? Like, a short stiff bristle would just dig in and make everything look the same, but a longer one might let you ease off the pressure and get those softer spots. Idk, maybe I'm overthinking it but it seems like everyone focuses on bristle stiffness and forgets about length being a factor too.