A general contractor told me my broom finish was too rough and I fought him for 2 days
He wanted a light broom for a driveway in Phoenix and I kept telling him it'd be slick when wet, but he showed me a house 3 blocks away where the original had worn smooth and people were eating shit on it. Now I ask homeowners if they park on slopes or have elderly visitors before I pick the broom texture, and I always leave a test patch for them to walk on. Anyone else have a GC or client override your call and end up being right?
That test patch idea is smart though, because most folks don't know what they actually want until their feet tell them. I started doing something like that with my own pours, but I go a step more and wet the patch down so they can feel the slick before it ever rains. Takes ten extra minutes and saves me a callback every single time. The GC in your story got lucky that worn out driveway was sitting there to prove his point.