I used to just pour and go, but a vet taught me to watch the concrete's shine. Waiting for that perfect moment makes all the difference. Skip this step and you'll ruin the finish every time. It's not about speed, it's about timing. Get this right and the slab looks pro.
I was finishing a garage slab last week and thought I could skip the bull float to save time. The surface set up too fast, and now there are high spots all over. It hit me that every step in the process really does matter, no shortcuts.
Everyone seems to think more troweling means a better finish, but I call bs. I've had jobs where I troweled less and the concrete set stronger. Too much troweling brings up too much cream and weakens the top layer. I saw a driveway I did five years ago, and the over-troweled sections are flaking off. My buddy's work, with minimal troweling, still looks solid. Maybe we're just making extra work for ourselves. Let the concrete be concrete.