It was poured 1.5 weeks ago. Contractor says it’ll smooth out. Does it look like a bad job?

by mrgroggyfroggy

44 Comments

  1. hshawn419

    It will smooth out?? Looks like they did the brush (broom) texture finish and that will last years

  2. BucketteHead

    Hard to tell if they did a bad job from the photo you provided.

    It looks like a broom finish. It will “smooth” over time in that some of the small imperfections will wear off, but it will never be “smooth” like a hard trowel finish (that is what you see in big box stores like Home Depot or Costco).

    If it were me, I would want a broom finish and rougher surface for outside slabs than a hard trowel finish. A smooth slab becomes slick when it gets wet.

  3. geekspice

    It will definitely not smooth out over time. It looks like a broom finish that they did a shitty job on.

  4. cghffbcx

    Your grill will grease stain the surface.

  5. DirtyleedsU1919

    They’re lying to you to hold you off long enough before it would be extremely difficult to make a claim to get them to redo it

  6. MaxUumen

    In few thousand years it will be smooth as beach sand.

  7. SomeComparison

    It wasn’t floated probably before they broomed it. Honestly looks like they were in a hurry and rushed, Friday at 4pm type of job.

    Hopefully the bottom looks better than the top. If they didn’t grade the spot properly and just set some form boards and poured it, you’ll have more issues than that finish.

    But to answer your question, no. It won’t smooth out.

  8. Difficult_Hornet2118

    Seems to be a good pore he just should have cleaned his broom or bought a new one for the cost of the job and cement. I would pay the man what he asked. You’re going to put a shitty woven outdoor rug under the furniture anyway so you can relax sans shoes

  9. jdhunt_24

    smooth out? what you have is what youre getting. if you wanted it smooth it wouldve needed to be done while the concrete was wet. if you really want it smoother at this point you would need a 9″ grinder with a concrete wheel on it. not a diamond wheel just a concrete wheel. that is a brushed finish and its always going to be a textured surface like that when you brush it.

  10. ThatsNotEastMemphis

    Absolutely not. You don’t want a slick surface outside…so broom finish was the right choice. They just did a sloppy job.

  11. Eggplant-666

    Yes Concrete notoriously smooths out over time. It’s not hard as rock or anything.

  12. crabman5962

    Put a floor grinder to it and enjoy your cheap terrazzo.

  13. Brady721

    Contractor did similar at my house, we asked them to redo it. They said we could either leave it as is and they would only charge the deposit (1/2 quoted price), or they could redo it for the whole price. We had them redo it.

    One other thing that stands out to me with your slab is that there’s no expansion joints. Hope you don’t live somewhere where the ground freezes.

  14. der_innkeeper

    Sure, with a grinder amd buffing pad.

  15. Chubb_Life

    lol no. You’re talking geologic time.

  16. jmjessemac

    Looks pretty horrible. I’m pretty sure it would be about what I’d do with a DIY project.

  17. Unfair_You_1769

    I wouldn’t want a smooth finish anyway, gets too slippery when wet and icy.

  18. Easy_Perspective_835

    Nope, looks like they “brushed” it vs smoothed

  19. daveyconcrete

    They hit it early in a hurry. Good concrete work is about timing. It was still very wet when they brushed it. That is why you can see some of the smaller pieces of aggregate that got flipped up. Gotta wait until all that bleed water is dried out. And the cream stiffened up.

  20. False-Ad-7753

    It looks great man, maybe add some fake turf or some mats

  21. ForsakenTrifle2042

    Looks like the broom finish was applied to early when the top of the concrete was to wet.

  22. Hot-Comment2844

    Rough texture is better than smooth. You won’t slip and fall.

  23. JumpAccurate6637

    Well, if the conditions are right, a couple hundred years could do it.

  24. DEFCON741

    Its a broom finish. If you wanted smoth why broom finish?

  25. Mindless-Divide107

    Use epoxy not acrylic to seal

  26. BluIdevil253

    No. Its rough so you wont slip on it

  27. eckspress

    Eek. Broom finish is normal but this was horribly done. Hope he didn’t cost too much.

  28. Opposing_Thumb_Dude

    The most realistic answer is no. If you hate the ‘look’ of the lousy brooming you can mask the appearance a little by pouring different colors of liquid quikcrete pigment over it (think camouflage). Rinse it off after a few days. It’ll be blotchy like camouflage, but by using different colors you’ll mask the pronounced linear ‘look’ and will soften those end of stroke piles.

    Better than being disappointed every time you’re out there enjoying your nice patio. And it is nice. Problem is, your contractor was jealous and didn’t want you to have what he couldn’t.

  29. DaddyBoomalati

    Not the best broom finish, but it’s not the worst either. You want that roughness to keep from busting your ass when it’s wet.

  30. TBellOHAZ

    No, and I’d be concerned there aren’t any joints present…

  31. DigbyGibbers

    I guess in geological time frames it’s possible, but still unlikely. 

  32. IL1kEB00B5

    You can’t take a picture through a screen door and ask about surface quality.

  33. Goddragon555

    That broom finish looks horrible. Id have them grind it or redo it or negotiate the bill down and throw fake grass over it if it bothers you a lot.

  34. tonguebasher69

    Smooth out? Thats the least of your worries. No expansion joints is the real issue.

  35. Short-University1645

    Only if you drag your buttcheeks over it for an hour a day. Maby in 6 years. All jokes aside they add texture on purpose??? I thought this looked fine

  36. ROBnLISA32

    Did you take this picture through a screen glass door?? To answer your question no it’s not going to smooth out anytime soon….

  37. maen_baenne

    In the geologic time scale, sure.

Pin