My uncle told me to use a 2x4 screed on a big garage floor and I should have listened

He's been finishing for 30 years and said a magnesium screed would be too light for the 30 foot pull on that 6 inch slab. I thought my mag would be fine and went with it last Tuesday. Halfway across, it started to dip and I ended up with a solid inch of low spot I had to fix. It cost me an extra 90 minutes and a lot of extra concrete. Do you guys always switch tools based on the pour size, or do you think a good finisher can make anything work with enough skill?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_paul27d ago

Tell you what, that exact thing happened to me on a basement slab last fall. Tried to use my 8-foot mag screed on a 20-foot wide pour because I was lazy and didn't want to go get the heavier one. Ended up with a belly in the middle that took forever to float out. @troy_ross is dead on, starting wrong just makes the whole day a fight. Your uncle gave you the golden ticket, those old guys have messed up every way possible so we don't have to. Now I just grab the 2x4 for anything over 15 feet, no questions.

troy_ross27d ago

Yeah, that's the exact lesson learned the hard way... the right tool just takes the fight out of the job. A good finisher can fix a lot, but starting with the wrong screed is like running uphill from the gate. Sometimes listening to the old guys saves your back and your concrete.

jade_hernandez12d ago

Nah, gotta disagree. A good finisher knows their tools. My mag screed has handled 30 foot pulls before, you just need the right touch. Maybe @troy_ross had a cheap one that flexes too much.