Of all the elements in a residential renovation, floors add the most life and value to an old property. This was especially true for the custom Pangaea or thin-set concrete and aggregate flooring we made for a homeowner in Dover Heights.

A luxurious home makeover  

transition between floors wooden floor polished concrete
The renovation design required a durable and easy-to-clean cement floor finish thin enough to match the level of the existing wood parquet flooring in the adjacent rooms and corridor (see upper left corner of the photo). Thus, we presented our Pangaea flooring solution.

The owner of a spacious residence in Dover Heights, Sydney needed a dramatic overhaul of the interiors of their old home. They wanted a newer and sleeker modern look. So they hired Sam Crawford Architects (SCA) and the SQ Projects boutique residential construction company.

The highlight of the remodelling was an open-plan layout for the living area, dining room and kitchen. The client needed the entire space flooded with natural sunlight from a skylight and wide patio doors. Light would then reflect across off-white walls, marble countertops and a polished concrete floor.

However, SCA realised early on that installing a traditional polished concrete floor would pose a problem.

As SCA Senior Project Architect, Imogene Tudor, put it, “The existing conditions prohibited the use of a traditional polished slab,” Next to the living room, dining room and kitchen were passageways or rooms with floors that the client wanted to keep — and these would have ended up being lower than an adjacent traditional concrete floor. It would not be a seamless transition.

The only solution was to recreate the look of traditional polished concrete from a thin but durable Pangaea flooring overlay.

Our custom Pangaea solution

polished concrete pangaea natural stone aggregates
A closer view of the finished floor, made with a special white marble-cement mix and river pebbles.

Thus, SCA approached us to render the entire floor for that space, from preparation to final polishing.

In the past, we have handled other similar client briefs for cement-based toppings at minimal thickness. So when we liaised with Sam Crawford Architects (SCA) at the concept stage, we were able to present our solution to meeting their client’s need for a durable floor for the kitchen, dining and pantry area.

Initially, we explored our current range of polished cement toppings with no aggregates, in various shades of grey. However, after several rounds of sampling, the client opted to use our thin-set Pangaea concrete topping with natural stone aggregates instead.

We worked closely with Imogene Tudor to achieve a more bespoke finish and match the home’s new aesthetics. They chose an off-white Chardonnay cement with a custom blend of white marble from South Australia’s Barossa Valley and river pebble aggregates.

Cementing the stylish touches

textured polished concrete floor pangaea
A seamless and durable Pangaea cement floor finish means easy maintenance for years to come.

We prepared the floor substrate and went through the meticulous process of laying in the special cement overlay and aggregates. After all that hard work, we polished the finished floor.

SCA and the client were ecstatic with the results. The nuanced texture of the polished Pangaea floor is now a major feature of the entire area and complements its white walls, warm wood and marble surfaces.

“Honestone was exceptionally professional and Rick and team were great, polite and worked very hard on our house — thank you!” said homeowner Mrs. Atkins. “The whole space is absolutely stunning. The workmanship is flawless. It looks great and is functional for us. I could not be happier.”

Our passion for custom concrete flooring

passive natural lighting pangaea cement aggregate kitchen floor
The finished Pangaea floor also added more passive lighting by reflecting and diffusing both natural sunlight and artificial illumination throughout the space.

As specialists in polished concrete and customised Pangaea flooring, we like pushing past conventions when creating superior flooring and walling enhancements. We are committed to helping our clients fulfil their designs and project visions, no matter how difficult or unconventional they may be. We believe in innovation.

Our passion and skills have garnered us recognition throughout Australia and internationally. We received top honours from the American Decorative Concrete Council (DCC) Awards in 2013, the Master Builders’ NSW Excellence in Construction Awards in 2015, and the DCC Award again in 2016 (for Hype DC’s interior concrete overlays in Hurstville).

Why not strike a partnership with us? Count on us to craft award-winning masterpiece floors, walls and surfaces for you. See how we prepare concrete floor substrates and create Pangaea, terrazzo, microcement or traditional polished concrete floors for our other clients’ projects. Discover how Honestone expertise can make your project designs come alive by contacting us at 02 4353 0055.