Transforming a prestigious Sydney garage into a luxury car showroom with polished concrete

Sydney-based luxury car enthusiast and collector, Allan, first met Fadi, the polished concrete expert from Say Nammour, during his driveway restoration. After multiple contractors attempted and failed to resurface Allan’s driveway, Fadi’s skill and concrete expertise were a welcome change.   

“While Fadi was restoring my driveway, I suggested he quickly clean up my garage floor and put some sort of coating down, as my existing floor had failed dramatically. Once he saw the cars I keep in there, Fadi politely refused, offering to install a more appropriate floor instead,” Allan says.

The appropriate floor Fadi suggested was Husqvarna’s Superfloor Platinum, a high gloss mechanical polish with full aggregate exposure. Ground to reveal cross-sections of aggregate, the Platinum finish gives the concrete a gorgeous dappled look. It’s the perfect foundation for a luxury car display.    

Initially, Allan had no understanding of mechanically polished concrete or Husqvarna Superfloor, but on Fadi’s recommendation, he was sold.

Fixing a failing floor

Allan’s existing epoxy garage floor had begun to degrade and delaminate, lifting up off the concrete and breaking apart in some areas. 

“What was supposed to be a hardwearing product was either not applied properly or wasn’t suitable for the application, resulting in delamination,” Husqvarna Territory Manager, Rowan Burton, explains.

To reveal the concrete substrate below, Fadi had to first remove the epoxy layer — a process that involves an additional round of grinding.

“There is a level of uncertainty, because you don’t know what the floor is doing underneath, and you only find out once you’ve removed the contamination on top of the concrete,” Rowan says.

Once the epoxy is removed, revealing a promising concrete floor, Fadi takes a second ‘first cut’ to remove the top layer of the concrete and expose the aggregate. 

“His first cut involves cutting a perimeter around the room and then working up in consistent lines, adjusting the cutting profile of the machine to ensure the floor is really flat.”

This stage can take hours, as it’s crucial to achieve an even, consistent exposure level across the entire floor. If done incorrectly, the floor will contain ripples, spoiling the mirror-like finish polished concrete is known for.

The Platinum finish

“Our Platinum finish is what people would refer to as a high gloss, full exposure finish,” Rowan explains. “Concrete consists of cement, sand, aggregate, and water all mixed together; depending on the size of the aggregate, full exposure will reveal small or large cross-sections of rock.”

Aggregate is the densest part of the concrete, which means a full exposure finish is extremely hard-wearing — ideal for a high-traffic, multi-car garage. To match the density of the aggregate, ‘densifiers’ are added to the cement. This important step not only creates a consistently hard floor but also stops the formation of concrete dust on the surface. 

“The densifiers actually change the structure of the cement at a molecular level, ensuring the high-gloss finish. If you use the wrong kind of densifier, the glossy look will dull off and start to dust, compromising the integrity of the floor.”

Husqvarna’s Superfloor process has been meticulously tested and perfected to achieve a durable, glossy polished concrete that maintains its glassy appearance for years to come. Requiring such a high level of expertise to install, Husqvarna ensures all its contractors, like Fadi, are certified to deliver quality results. 

“Husqvarna Superfloor is long-lasting, hard-wearing, and very low maintenance; the cost over the lifespan of the floor is proportionately low. It’s also sustainable, because you're not actually manufacturing anything, apart from the treating chemicals and the diamond tooling used to refine the floor. Whether it's a 100-year-old slab or a fresh pour, they're putting the concrete slab there anyway. Instead of having to self-level it and then put carpet, vinyl, or tiles in, we're just refining what's already there,” Rowan explains.

Luxury restored

After a seven-day install, the polished concrete garage floor is impressive, reflecting the glow of the room’s neon lights like a still lake. Containing a significant amount of small aggregate, the variegated look gives modern elegance, complementing Allan’s luxury car collection. 

“I didn't realise how much work and patience were involved, yet it was achieved in a professional and timely manner. I'm completely amazed that Fadi was able to transform concrete into such a work of art; it has come up a lot better than I ever imagined, and resulted in me renovating the rest of the room,” Allan says. 

“It was an absolute pleasure to work with Fadi. He was very professional, passionate, and knowledgeable, and I’m looking forward to working with Say Nammour on future projects.”

Learn more about Husqvarna Superfloor.