Floors · seven floors, explained for Singapore homes
I'm redoing the whole flat of my HDB 4-room resale, and I'd like it warm, like wood.
Ben HDB 4-room, about 85 sqm. Vinyl and carpet laid over the old floor need no HDB permit, nor does laminate without a platform, screed or hacking. Replacing tiles does.
Belle Warm? Then we look at oak in your late-afternoon light, not a showroom at noon.
Ben & Belle · both are AI · their lines are written by our team from our data and HDB's published rules
3D render
A typical oak-look SPC vinyl, not a specific product
Same room, same light, same camera. Only the floor changes, rendered from a generic texture at the size shown.
Step 1Ben
Your home decides what's allowed.
The type of home, how new it is and whether the old floor stays set the rules before taste gets a say.
Home
Flat's age
Rooms
Old floor
Ben Here's what HDB allows for what you've picked.
Contractor. Use one on HDB's Directory of Renovation Contractors, even for work that needs no permit. Our directory marks them "HDB DRC listed".
- HDB, Renovation: important information, checked 30 Sep 2026
Laying over. Vinyl, carpet and linoleum need no permit. Laminate, timber and bamboo laid over the old floor need none if the floor isn't raised as a platform, no cement screed is used and nothing is hacked off. Floor finishes glued over need none if there's only one existing layer (counting cement screed), the new finish with adhesive is 13mm or less, the floor trap is left alone and nothing seeps into the bedroom.
- HDB, Building works guidelines, checked 30 Sep 2026
From HDB's renovation guidelines, MyNiceHome and SCDF's shelter rules, each linked with the date we checked it. If HDB's page and ours differ, follow HDB's. Removing floors in an HDB flat, in Shoes Off
Step 2Ben asks three · Belle asks two
Your life picks the floor. Five taps.
Practical questions first, looks last. You get three floors with the reasons, and why the other four didn't make it.
Ben A kitchen or bathroom changes everything. Water counts three times, and carpet and laminate sit this one out.
Belle Light wood staying? Go a shade warmer or a shade cooler than it, never the same.
Ben Kids or pets at home?
Ben Any kitchen or bathroom in this job?
Ben Strong afternoon sun?
Belle Which look are you after?
Belle What's staying in the room?
Your shortlist
Ranked from your answers. Nobody pays to be on it.
Your shortlist: Homogeneous tiles, SPC vinyl, Marble-look porcelain
1 · Closest fit3D render
Homogeneous tiles
S$85–190 a sqm · S$7.90–17.65 a sq ft
- copes with water
- takes kids and pets
- takes afternoon sun
Ben Takes water and wear well. Replacing old tiles means hacking and an HDB permit.
Belle Warm grey stays warm at night. Cool grey can turn blue under white lights.
- 2
3D render
SPC vinyl
S$45–100 a sqm · S$4.18–9.29 a sq ft
- copes with water
- takes kids and pets
- warm wood look
Ben Lays over sound tiles with no HDB permit. It's water-resistant, not waterproof, so a flood still matters.
Belle Pick a matte, deep-grain plank. In late sun, a glossy one looks like plastic.
33D render
Marble-look porcelain
S$85–190 a sqm · S$7.90–17.65 a sq ft
- copes with water
- takes kids and pets
- takes afternoon sun
Ben Ragno says its marble-effect porcelain needs no regular polishing, unlike marble. Priced in our tiles band.
Belle Big slabs, few joints. A polished floor carries window light further into the room.
Our price band · supplied and laid
Set Sep 2026.
Supplied and laid, with standard installation. Major levelling or screeding, removing and disposing of the old floor, new skirting, special transition profiles, door trimming and other remedial work are normally extra, priced after a site inspection. Some products cost more. GST is added or included as the final quotation states.
Our price bands are set with Monli, our affiliate partner, and checked against published Singapore guides.
Monli is our affiliate partner, and we earn a commission when you buy there.
Why not the other four
- Engineered timber. Real wood: never leave it wet, and it can dent and scratch. Our band for it: S$130 to S$280 per sqm (S$12.08 to S$26.01 per sq ft).
- Solid parquet. Solid wood moves with our humidity and teak darkens in sun. Our band for it: S$250 to S$500 per sqm (S$23.23 to S$46.45 per sq ft).
- Laminate. Its joints are sensitive to moisture, so spills need wiping up straight away, and Egger says its surface can't be reworked.
- Carpet tiles. Not waterproof: a spill that soaks through means lifting tiles to dry. Our view: keep it to bedrooms and studies.
How we rank: water counts three times when the job has a kitchen or bathroom, and carpet tiles and laminate are left out; with kids or pets, scratches count twice and water once more; sun counts twice when it's strong; your look adds 6; quiet counts twice if you asked for quiet; if you asked for low cost, the band that starts lowest adds 6, the next 5, down to 1. A floor that needs a tile overlay loses 3 unless you're hacking the old floor out. Ties keep this page's order. Nobody pays to be on this list.
Our price bands are set with Monli, our affiliate partner, and checked against published Singapore guides.
Monli is our affiliate partner, and we earn a commission when you buy there.
Step 3Belle
See it in your light before you see a salesperson.
The same room, the same camera, only the floor changes. Then step into the 3D room and try the tones.
3D render
A typical oak-look SPC vinyl, not a specific product
Belle Late sun rakes across the floor. Planks toward the window make the room read longer.
Ben Rendered from a generic texture at the plank size shown, not a photo of a product. Screens change colours. Stand on a sample before you pay.
Coming later
Try a floor in a photo of your own room. It isn't here yet: it waits for the privacy work.
Floor
- SPC vinylS$45–100 a sqm · S$4.18–9.29 a sq ft
- LaminateS$65–120 a sqm · S$6.04–11.15 a sq ft
- Engineered timberS$130–280 a sqm · S$12.08–26.01 a sq ft
- Solid parquetS$250–500 a sqm · S$23.23–46.45 a sq ft
- Homogeneous tilesS$85–190 a sqm · S$7.90–17.65 a sq ft
- Marble-look porcelainS$85–190 a sqm · S$7.90–17.65 a sq ft
- Carpet tilesS$40–80 a sqm · S$3.72–7.43 a sq ft
Our price band · supplied and laid
Set Sep 2026.
Supplied and laid, with standard installation. Major levelling or screeding, removing and disposing of the old floor, new skirting, special transition profiles, door trimming and other remedial work are normally extra, priced after a site inspection. Some products cost more. GST is added or included as the final quotation states.
Our price bands are set with Monli, our affiliate partner, and checked against published Singapore guides.
Monli is our affiliate partner, and we earn a commission when you buy there.
Step 4Ben · Belle
Know what you're walking on.
What it's made of, where it works, how to look after it, how it ages and what it costs. One guide per kind of floor.
3D render
SPC vinyl
Light oak look · 1220 × 180 mm planks
No HDB permit laid over
S$45–100 a sqm · S$4.18–9.29 a sq ftGuide →
3D render
Laminate
Grey oak look · 1380 × 193 mm planks
No HDB permit laid over, with no platform, screed or hacking
S$65–120 a sqm · S$6.04–11.15 a sq ftGuide →
3D render
Engineered timber
Natural oak · 1900 × 190 mm boards
No HDB permit laid over, with no platform, screed or hacking
S$130–280 a sqm · S$12.08–26.01 a sq ftGuide →
3D render
Solid parquet
Teak tone herringbone · 450 × 75 mm blocks
No HDB permit laid over, with no platform, screed or hacking
S$250–500 a sqm · S$23.23–46.45 a sq ftGuide →
3D render
Homogeneous tiles
Warm grey · 600 × 600 mm
No HDB permit only as a 13mm adhesive overlay on one layer
S$85–190 a sqm · S$7.90–17.65 a sq ftGuide →
3D render
Marble-look porcelain
Polished · 1200 × 600 mm
No HDB permit only as a 13mm adhesive overlay on one layer
S$85–190 a sqm · S$7.90–17.65 a sq ftGuide →
3D render
Carpet tiles
Taupe · 500 × 500 mm, quarter-turn
No HDB permit laid over
S$40–80 a sqm · S$3.72–7.43 a sq ftGuide →
Ben's favourite
The floor you already have
Old parquet can sometimes be sanded and refinished, and sound tiles can be kept, or overlaid within HDB's limits. Ask for a refinish quote before a new-floor quote.
- NWFA, Refinishing your floors, 19 Oct 2023
- HDB, Building works guidelines, checked 30 Sep 2026
Our summary of the sources on each guide page, not a lab test.
- HDB, Building works guidelines, checked 30 Sep 2026
Our price band · supplied and laid
Set Sep 2026.
Supplied and laid, with standard installation. Major levelling or screeding, removing and disposing of the old floor, new skirting, special transition profiles, door trimming and other remedial work are normally extra, priced after a site inspection. Some products cost more. GST is added or included as the final quotation states.
Our price bands are set with Monli, our affiliate partner, and checked against published Singapore guides.
Monli is our affiliate partner, and we earn a commission when you buy there.
The honest bit
Does a new floor add value to a Singapore home?
Ben We found no published Singapore figures on how much a new floor adds when you sell. So fix what's worn or broken, and don't count on getting the money back.
Belle Then choose it for the years you'll live on it. That part you do get back, every morning.
Step 5Ben · Belle
Your floor brief, ready for three next steps.
Nothing to sign up for. We don't ask for your name or number until you send a request.
Ben Ask for skirting, door trimming and any hacking in writing, next to the price. If it isn't written, it isn't included.
Belle Stand on your two favourites before you sign. Ask for the tone name and batch on the quote, so the floor that arrives is the one you chose.
- Floor
- SPC vinyl
- Home
- HDB 4-room
- Size
- 85 sqm
- Rooms
- Living and dining, Bedrooms, Kitchen
- Old floor
- Lay over it
Our price band · supplied and laid
S$3,825 to S$8,500
An estimate for 85 sqm from our price band. Not a quote; a quote prices yours. Your reference code is made only when you send a request.
Set Sep 2026.
Supplied and laid, with standard installation. Major levelling or screeding, removing and disposing of the old floor, new skirting, special transition profiles, door trimming and other remedial work are normally extra, priced after a site inspection. Some products cost more. GST is added or included as the final quotation states.
Our price bands are set with Monli, our affiliate partner, and checked against published Singapore guides.
Monli is our affiliate partner, and we earn a commission when you buy there.
Price it exactly
Get a quote
Opens our quote with your home, size and floor filled in. Two unticked boxes if you want offers later; nothing else.
Get my quoteWho can lay it
Find a contractor
The directory opens on your town with "HDB DRC listed" switched on, because an HDB flat needs a contractor on HDB's list.
See contractorsStand on it
Visit a showroom
Partner · shown first
Monli is our affiliate partner, and we earn a commission when you buy there.
Monli Interior Hub · Stellar@Tampines
Why first? We earn a commission there, so we pin it here and say so. First place isn't a rating or a price check.
Book a visitOther showrooms are being added. We'll list them in random order, reshuffled daily.
Ben Before you pay a deposit: the price in writing, with every extra listed. A CaseTrust-accredited firm caps the initial deposit at 20% of the total cost.
- CASE, CaseTrust accreditation for renovation businesses, modified 14 Apr 2026
Floor school
Guides, with Ben and Belle's notes in the margins.
- VinylVinyl flooring in a Singapore homeSPC and LVT: what's inside a plank, where it works, how it handles water and sun, and what to ask before you pay.
- LaminateLaminate flooring in a Singapore homeA printed wood look on a core layer: hard-wearing on top, wary of water in the joints.
- Engineered timberEngineered timber in a Singapore homeReal wood on top of a stable core: steadier than solid wood in our humidity, and it can be sanded a few times.
- Solid timber and parquetSolid timber and parquet in a Singapore homeSolid wood in blocks or boards: old parquet already in a home, and new herringbone.
- TilesFloor tiles in a Singapore homePorcelain, homogeneous and ceramic tiles, and marble-look porcelain: water and wear, hard underfoot.
- Carpet tilesCarpet tiles in a Singapore homeSquares of carpet you can lay over a hard floor: soft and quiet, and any spoiled tile swaps out.
- Rules · BenRemoving floors in an HDB flatRules, plainly: permits, hours, tools and who may do the work.
- Choose · Ben and BelleVinyl over, or new tiles?Face-off: lay vinyl over the old tiles, or put new tiles in?
- Check · BenThe tap testA game: find the three hollow tiles.
- Know · BenTake a plank apartFloor School: the four layers of a vinyl plank.
- Visit · BelleHow to visit a flooring showroomBefore you buy: a showroom visit, done properly.
Ben & Belle · both are AI · their lines are written by our team from our data and HDB's published rules