Most HDB and condo owners we quote ask the same first question after price: how long will my flat be out of action? The honest answer for a standard three-room to five-room vinyl flooring job is two to three working days from start to walk-on. Here is exactly what happens on each of those days so you can plan furniture moves, helper schedules, and your own work-from-home setup.
This timeline assumes a typical click-lock SPC or LVT install across the whole flat, with existing flooring removed. Glue-down vinyl sheet jobs run on a slightly different schedule, noted at the end.
Before Day 1: Site visit and prep
Before the install crew arrives, we complete a site visit to measure, inspect the sub-floor, and finalise the vinyl selection. You also need to clear the affected rooms — beds dismantled, sofas relocated, wardrobes emptied if they sit on top of the new floor. Most homeowners stack belongings into one room and we install around it, then swap rooms on a later day. We will tell you which approach fits your flat.
The vinyl is delivered to your unit 24 to 48 hours before installation to acclimatise to the room temperature. This matters more for LVT than SPC but we do it for both as standard.
Day 1: Removal and sub-floor preparation
The crew arrives between 9 and 10am. The first job is removing whatever flooring is currently there — old vinyl, laminate, ceramic tile, or original HDB cement screed if it has not been touched. Removal is the noisiest part. Tile demolition runs roughly two to four hours depending on the area. Laminate and vinyl come up in under two hours.
Once the floor is bare, the crew sweeps and vacuums thoroughly, then assesses the sub-floor. Cracks get filled. Loose patches get re-screeded. If the floor is significantly uneven for LVT, a self-levelling compound goes down and needs four to eight hours to cure — this is the single most common reason a job stretches from two days to three.
What you can expect on Day 1
- Noise: heavy during demolition, light during prep. Inform neighbours in advance for HDB jobs.
- Dust: moderate. We use vacuum extractors and dust sheets, but expect a thin layer everywhere by evening.
- Access: avoid the work zone. Other rooms remain usable.
- End of day: sub-floor is bare, clean, and either ready to lay or curing.
Pro tip: Run the aircon in the un-worked rooms during Day 1 to keep dust out. Close those doors and tape gaps if you are sensitive.
Day 2: Vinyl installation
This is the satisfying day. With the sub-floor flat and clean, the crew lays the underlay (if separate from the plank) and starts the click-lock installation from a chosen wall. Vinyl planks click together end-to-end and side-to-side, leaving a small expansion gap around the perimeter that gets hidden by skirting or quarter-round trim.
For a typical 90 to 110 square metre HDB, two installers complete the lay in six to eight hours. Larger landed homes and shophouses take longer, sometimes spilling into Day 3. Cuts around door frames, kitchen island bases, and bathroom thresholds are the slow detail work that defines a clean finish.
What happens around tricky spots
Door frames are undercut so the vinyl slides beneath them rather than butting against them — this looks more professional and avoids visible cuts. Existing skirting either gets removed and refitted, or stays in place with a slim quarter-round added at the base. Transitions to bathrooms and balconies are sealed with metal or PVC trim depending on the look you chose.
Pro tip: Walk the floor with the crew at end of Day 2. Point out anything that looks off before they leave — small fixes are easy on the spot, much harder after the job is closed.
Day 3: Trims, touch-ups, and handover
Day 3 is finishing day. The crew installs perimeter trims, threshold strips, and any new skirting if it was part of the scope. Silicone gets run along wet edges in the kitchen and bathroom doorways. We sweep, vacuum, and damp-mop the new floor before handover.
A final walk-through covers care instructions, leftover plank quantities for future repairs, and warranty paperwork. We leave the leftover materials with you — a few spare planks tucked away in the storeroom are worth their weight in gold if a fridge ever gouges the kitchen floor.
Variations on this timeline
- Vinyl sheet (glued down): usually one to two days. Faster lay, but the adhesive needs to cure overnight before heavy furniture goes back.
- Single-room job: often one day, start to finish, if the sub-floor is sound.
- Whole-flat with self-levelling compound: three to four days because the compound cures overnight.
- Commercial F&B fit-out: we usually work overnight to avoid disrupting trading hours. Same scope, compressed into off-hours sessions.
Want a free site visit? Get in touch with DS Flooring — we will measure your space, walk you through the exact day-by-day plan for your flat, and quote within 24 hours.
