Flooring

Home & Decor's October 2024 vinyl guide puts market rates in Singapore at about $5 to $8 a square foot for vinyl, $6 to $12 for ceramic tiles, around $12 to $25 for hardwood and $15 to $30 for marble, without saying whether laying is included. A Qanvast guide from April 2025 puts laying at about $1 to $4 a square foot for vinyl and $4 to $6 for tiles. These are the publications' own ranges, not our prices. There's no current independent figure for parquet on its own, or for what the old floor adds, such as hacking and disposal if it comes out and a cement screed to level the base. Check that skirting and door trimming are included, because MoneySmart's flooring guide notes some quotes leave them out, and allow extra material for offcuts. We give a fixed-price quote within 3 to 5 working days of a free site assessment, never from a photo. Our article on whether overlaying or hacking costs less overall works through what each route adds.

Overlaying is cheaper when the old floor is firm enough to stay and the extra height doesn't force costly changes elsewhere, because it skips hacking, disposal and a new screed. What can stay depends on the new floor. Quick-Step's list for its floating vinyl lets ceramic tiles, glued laminate or parquet and fixed wood boards stay, while carpet, cushion vinyl and floating laminate or parquet have to come out. The new layer also raises the floor, so doors, thresholds and the first stair step are checked against the new level. Our article on overlaying or hacking works through the doors, stairs and damp that change the bill.

MoneySmart's June 2026 renovation timeline guide says smaller projects such as replacing flooring may be completed within 2 to 4 weeks, depending on complexity and scheduling. That's a general figure for Singapore homes rather than a landed-house schedule, and we can't give you a number of weeks until we've checked the old floor at the site assessment. Time goes up with hacking and disposal, refixing or levelling the base, and drying. For a new cement screed, Quick-Step's parquet instructions allow at least a week of drying per centimetre of thickness up to 4 cm and twice that beyond it, so a 6 cm screed needs at least 8 weeks before its parquet goes down. Tiles take longer to lay than click vinyl, because each one is bedded in adhesive and then grouted. Doing the house a floor at a time so you can stay in it can take longer than clearing it.

Not from BCA for replacing the floor finish itself. Replacement of existing floor and wall finishes is on the list of insignificant building works, which BCA says don't need plans submitted to it. If the work goes beyond that, or you're not sure whether it does, BCA advises owners to engage a Qualified Person, a registered architect or professional engineer, to advise on the clearances needed from BCA and other authorities such as URA. Even where no BCA submission is needed, homeowners must still get any approvals other authorities require, and in a strata estate the MCST's approval might also be needed. When a job needs a Qualified Person or a BCA submission, we arrange them.

Tiles. MoneySmart's 2019 guide names marble and tile the best waterproof options for wet areas like bathrooms and kitchens. Vinyl can warp under high heat and moisture, especially if it isn't laid properly. Real timber such as parquet needs more care, because the same MoneySmart guide notes that Singapore's heat and humidity can make wood expand and shift over time. Water-resistant vinyl suits a room that gets wet now and then, but not a shower, and one maker rules it out of rooms with a built-in drain, which is what a floor trap is. Our guide to choosing vinyl room by room covers where each kind of vinyl works.

Yes, if the slab is dry enough for the timber you choose, so have its moisture measured before deciding. Quick-Step's parquet instructions say a concrete base must be dry enough before laying, that other damp proofing must be used where the moisture is higher or may become higher, and that the readings are recorded and kept. If there's a leak or a damp patch, fix its cause first. If the slab stays damp, tile is the safer choice, because it's waterproof and wood moves with moisture.

Tile, or another floor made for outdoor use, laid to a slope that carries rain to the drain and with a surface that grips when wet. Tiles are waterproof and commonly used on balconies. Vinyl isn't for outdoor floors, and Karndean's rigid vinyl guide rules out outdoor use for its product. On a car porch, also ask whether the tile and the bed under it are meant to take a parked car.

Not necessarily. A hollow sound can mean a tile has come loose from the bed beneath it, but on its own it doesn't show whether the tile has failed or how far the problem goes. We check the area at the site assessment before anything is decided, because a local problem may allow a local repair while movement under a wider area means more has to come up. Don't lay anything over them until then, since a floating floor needs a base that is stable and firmly fixed.

Yes, as long as the stair is planned as its own piece of work rather than as more floor. A floating click floor stops short of the stairs and leaves its edge gap, so the treads and risers get their own fixed pieces, with a nosing at each edge for grip. Adding a layer to the floors at the top and bottom also changes the height of the first and last steps, so the whole flight is measured first, as our article on first and last step levels after an overlay explains. If the stair itself is being rebuilt or reclad, see staircase renovation.