Hot take: using a magnesium float for the first pass versus a wood one

I always used a wood float first on garage slabs, but my foreman on a job in Tacoma made me try magnesium. The finish was way tighter with less water bleed, especially on that 80-degree day. Anyone else switched and noticed a difference in hot weather?

3 comments

3 Comments

emery_lane10d ago

Man, I gotta disagree. On a hot day, that magnesium just drags the cream up too fast for my liking. I've seen it seal the surface before the water can even get out, then you get that weird plastic skin. Give me a wood float every time, it lets the slab breathe. I'll take a little bleed water over a blistered finish any day.

fisher.paige26d ago

That Tacoma job changed my mind too. I get what @grantm61 means about it looking like someone else's work, because the surface just stays so much flatter. Now I won't touch wood for a first pass on any slab over 70 degrees.

grantm6126d ago

Wasted so many years being stubborn about wood. I mean, my first pass with magnesium looked like someone else did it, and not the usual hack.