We placed concrete in our backyard about a month and a half ago. It was a cold day and my husband rushed the finish because it was getting dark. Things weren't setting up as quickly as we would have liked so he went ahead and did the broom finish before it was ready. Now we have a very rough surface. Anybody know a good way to smooth it out? Please help!
You can rent a concrete grinder.
It's like a floor buffer on steroids.
Besides the power sander/grinder, alternative approach would be to apply a skim coat and re-texture. Here's a link that discusses the "how"...
Concrete grinding will be hard on the back, need special equipment and will take hours.
You don't say what the slab is for. If it is a high traffic area and in the open, you can scatter fresh, sharp mason's sand on it and walk/work/let-the-kids-ride-bikes to ease the texture. It does kind of depend on what it is, where it is, and what it is to be used for.
I've had good luck with renting a floor belt sander and using the roughest sand paper available. Of course my area (decorative fountain base) was small, equivalent of a 12' x 10' area.
Ivan Vegvary
Thanks so much for all the ideas. It is for our back patio. I believe it is about 12 x 20. That may not be exact but that is my estimate.
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