Old timer at the shop swore by chalking your lines on concrete floors for foundation work

He said never trust a laser level when the sun's hitting the slab, and damn if he wasn't right about that after I spent 3 hours redoing a footing layout in Phoenix last July. Anyone else dump the tech for old school methods on certain jobs?

3 comments

3 Comments

wendy3911mo ago

Why did @emmag22 leave out how lasers fail when dust gets heavy on the sensor?

brian3281mo ago

but honestly thats a fair point because i used to think lasers were just straight up better no matter what. i had one guy at work swear by chalk lines and i thought he was just being old fashioned. but after seeing how fast dust can mess up a laser sensor on a jobsite i get where hes coming from now. especially if youre doing outdoor concrete work in a dry area the chalk line is just more bulletproof for that kind of stuff. i mean you trade off some precision but it saves you from standing there waiting for the sensor to clear up.

emmag221mo ago

yeah but like... is it really that big of a deal? i mean i get that direct sun can throw off a laser but are we acting like chalk lines never get messed up either? one gust of wind or a wet boot and your perfect line is gone. plus if you're working in phoenix in july that chalk is probably melting into the concrete before you even snap it. i've used both a ton and honestly most of the time the laser is fine if you just wait for the shadows to shift or throw up a tarp for ten bucks. feels like people make this sound way more dramatic than it actually is.