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Shoes Off

No. 02 · October 2026 · The Rain IssueBen and Belle are AI characters

Contents
AI image of a living room on a stormy afternoon, dark clouds over the blocks outside, lamps on and a cat asleep on the rugAI image

The cover story

Where the water goes

One flat, one afternoon storm, and the four ways water reaches a floor.

3D render of an HDB living room with light oak vinyl planks at 5pm

3D render

  • Light oak vinyl plankS$3,825 to S$8,500
  • Honey oak vinyl plankS$3,825 to S$8,500
  • Walnut vinyl plankS$3,825 to S$8,500
  • Stone-look vinyl tileS$3,825 to S$8,500
  • Cream matte porcelainS$7,225 to S$16,150
  • Warm grey textured porcelainS$7,225 to S$16,150
Our band, before extras

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.

How we set our price bands

The sky goes dark

October's thunderstorms come in the afternoon and early evening, the Meteorological Service says, at times severe. In a storm, water reaches a floor four ways: on shoes at the door, off the sink, in the bathroom, and through a window someone left open.

Belle

Four ways in. Let's walk them, shoes off.

“In a storm, water reaches a floor four ways: on shoes at the door, off the sink, in the bathroom, and through a window someone left open.”

The door

Wet shoes bring in water and grit. On its vinyl, Karndean's care guide asks for mats with non-rubber backing at doorways, and for loose grit to be cleaned up, since it can cause fine scratches.

Ben

On vinyl, a mat at each door to outside. Non-rubber backing.

The kitchen

3D render of a kitchen with cream matte porcelain tiles at noon

3D render

In HDB's Kim Keat Crest brochure (Feb 2026), 3-room and bigger flats' kitchens and bathrooms come with glazed porcelain floor tiles; check your own project's brochure. Vinyl by the sink is a different story. Some makers call their vinyl waterproof; a flooring firm's director told Home & Decor the material resists water, but water can still seep in at the joints, if the locking system lets it, and get trapped underneath.

Ben

Tiles by the sink stay. Put the money in the living room.

The bathroom

3D render of a bathroom with warm grey textured porcelain at noon

3D render

The bathroom is where water belongs, so we'd keep it tiled. In an HDB flat, a replaced bathroom floor goes down over pre-packed waterproofing screed and a waterproofing membrane, which HDB says is what keeps water from leaking into the ceiling of the flat below. And a new block's toilet floor and wall finishes can't be replaced for 3 years from its completion.

Belle

Warm grey textured tile, and a light by the door for 3am.

The window

3D render of an HDB living room with light oak vinyl planks at 5pm

3D render

Karndean says topical spills cleaned up promptly won't harm its rigid core floor, properly laid and in normal use. Rain left sitting is different: a flooring firm's director told Home & Decor problems can develop over time, and Karndean calls standing water on its floor a slip hazard.

Ben

Close the window. Then the towel.

The edges

Water gets in where a floor stops. Karndean's installation guide says that in potential wet areas, a flexible sealant may be used to protect the expansion gap at the walls and fixed furniture from water.

Ben

Ask which edges near water get a flexible sealant, in writing.

What the quote must say

  1. Which rooms stay tiled.

  2. Where the vinyl stops, and the strip that finishes it. Our price band normally leaves special transition profiles out.

  3. Which edges near water get a flexible sealant.

Ben

Three lines. If one is missing, ask before you sign.

Get vinyl quoted for your HDB 4-room
Notes and sources (15)

  • Meteorological Service Singapore, Climate of Singapore · checked 30 Sep 2026

    • Inter-monsoon Period (October-November): "Thunderstorms, at times severe, occur in the afternoon and early evening."

  • Karndean, Cleaning and maintaining your vinyl floor · undated, checked 30 Sep 2026

    • "Use mats with non-rubber backing at doorways to prevent dirt and debris from being tracked inside."
    • "Regularly clean loose dirt and grit, which can cause fine scratches."

  • HDB, Kim Keat Crest sales brochure (Feb 2026 BTO) · Feb 2026

    • Kim Keat Crest (Feb 2026), 3-room and bigger flats: "These flats come with: • Floor finishes in the: • Bathrooms • Household shelter • Kitchen/ utility (3-room) • Kitchen and service yard (4-room and bigger flats)". Specifications: "Kitchen/ Utility/ Bathroom/ WC/ Household Shelter Floor : glazed porcelain tiles"

  • Home & Decor, 6 vinyl flooring myths · 25 May 2026

    • "The vinyl material itself is water-resistant and won't absorb moisture like natural wood. However, water can still seep through the gaps or joints if the locking system allows it, and over time, it gets trapped beneath the flooring."
    • "If water is just left sitting there, or if it repeatedly seeps beneath the surface, underlying issues can still develop over time."

  • Karndean, Frequently asked questions · undated, checked 30 Sep 2026

    • Karndean, a vinyl maker, calls its own luxury vinyl "durable, waterproof, scratch-resistant and easy to clean."

  • HDB, Renovation: important information · checked 30 Sep 2026

    • "Pre-packed waterproofing screed and waterproofing membrane must be used in bathrooms/ toilets before laying new floor finishes."
    • "A waterproofing membrane is laid on the cement screed before laying floor finishes in toilets. This prevents water from leaking through the floors into the ceiling of the flat immediately below."
    • "The toilet floor and wall finishes provided by HDB/ developer must not be replaced for a period of 3 years from the completion date of the block…"

  • Karndean, 2G Rigid Core installation guidelines (Australia and New Zealand) · Aug 2023

    • "When installed properly and under normal use, damp mopping and topical spills cleaned up promptly will not harm the performance of the floor."
    • "Do not subject this product to standing water. This will present a slip hazard."
    • "In potential wet areas where it is necessary to protect the expansion gap between perimeter walls, fixed furniture and the flooring product from potential water exposure, a flexible acrylic or flexible low modulus neutral cure silicone sealant may be used. Sealant should not be used for the general filling of expansion gaps."
    • In potential wet areas, "a flexible acrylic or flexible low modulus neutral cure silicone sealant may be used" to protect the expansion gap from water.

  • SGFloorFinder price bands · our own table

    • Special transition profiles are normally extra to our price band.