It is recommended that once the surface has been smoothed with the float trowel, light brush strokes be made over the surface, transverse to the direction of travel, to improve traction once the concrete hardens. A soft bristle brush is fine for this job as the 'grooves' should be around 1mm in depth.

Examples of Textured Finishes

• Float and Trowel finish: patterns made on Concrete with the help of wood, aluminum or steel floats look elegant.
• Broom finish: if you want to provide a non-slip texture to your driveway then broom finish is best suited.
• Rock Salt Finish: Here, the hard pieces of rock salt are pressed into the surface of new concrete and later the residue is either swept or washed away and a course texture is left

Also, in new plain concrete colorful pebbles can be planted at the time of finishing; after the top layer of cement paste is washed.  The pebbles become exposed, providing a colorful pebbled concrete area.  You can match or contrast the pebbles and the colorful concrete with your home exterior.