The Family Handyman – August 2019

FAMILYHANDYMAN.COM JULY/AUGUST 2019 65

b

ADD TEXTURE

I applied a broom

finish for better traction

using a soft-bristle push

broom. I found that broom-

ing within 15 minutes of the

initial pour worked best, but

this depends on temperature

and humidity. I watched the

surface and broomed when

the sheen evaporated. I had

to keep moving because

once the resurfacer begins

to harden, it becomes diffi-

cult to broom.

b

SCRAPE THE

EDGES

When the mix had become

firm but not hard, I used a

trowel to scrape away any

excess along the edge of

the concrete.

b

COVER UP AND

CORDON OFF

I covered the sidewalk with

plastic to keep the resurfacer

damp. Slower drying means

better bonding and a

tougher surface. To keep

traffic off the resurfacer, I

strung warning tape.

10

12

11

Lessons learned

QTrench along the edges. My

trenches weren’t wide enough.

I had to spread the resurfacer

carefully along the edges to

avoid dragging soil in with the

squeegee. Make your trenches

at least 4 in. wide and a couple

inches deep.

QGood preparation is critical.

Resurfacer hardens fast—you

have about 10 minutes to

spread it. I was well prepared,

though, and had a helper mix

while I applied the coating.

QA redo is easy. The first coat

took me two hours and wasn’t

quite perfect. The areas I had

troweled were evident and my

broom finish was inconsistent.

I opted for a second coat, which

took just over an hour, and the

result was absolute perfection.

First winter,

no damage

Freeze/thaw cycles are brutal on

cement products, and the winter

following this project was espe-

cially tough, with endless cold

snaps. So I was worried. But my

sidewalk emerged from the ice

age unscathed—no damage at all!