Executive Apartment Renovation Finishes Singapore

If you are renovating an executive apartment, your finish plan should start with the unit's age and size, not with colours. Executive apartment renovation finishes in Singapore work best when you test the old floor and walls first, choose one continuous floor for the large living areas, and save pattern for a few well-chosen walls. These units are typically larger than a 5-room flat, though you should check your floor plan. This guide shows how to handle older slabs, big surfaces and phased budgets with vinyl flooring and wallpaper.

Quick Takeaways

Test the old floor and walls before choosing any finish; age decides the prep cost
Use one continuous vinyl floor across the large living and dining space
Pick two or three feature walls, because wallpaper on every large wall is costly and heavy
Order all flooring and wallpaper from one batch, since large areas expose colour differences

Planning a larger unit? Bring your floor plan to the Monli showroom at Tampines (Stellar@Tampines, #01-17) or WhatsApp +65 8112 4866 to talk through a floor and wall plan.

Flooring ·GERCLIC

Flooring ·CLASSICO CLIC 4

Flooring ·CLASSICO CLIC 2

Why Executive Apartment Renovation Finishes Need a Different Plan

An executive apartment is an HDB flat that is typically bigger than a 5-room unit, with separate living and dining space and often a utility area. Many of these units are decades old. Check your own floor plan and lease details, because layouts vary between estates.

Two things change the finish plan. First, size: costs scale with every extra square metre, so a small mistake becomes a large bill. Second, age: older slabs and walls can be uneven, patched or hollow, and the finish only looks as good as the surface beneath it.

That makes preparation the first decision, not the last. A good plan answers four questions in order: what is the surface, how much of it is there, which rooms deserve the money, and how do you phase the work.

Step One: Read the Old Slab and Walls Before You Choose

Floor check. Walk the unit and tap tiles with a coin or key. A hollow sound can mean tiles have lifted from the screed. Lay a long straightedge on the floor and look for gaps. Your contractor will do a better measurement, but this tells you what to ask.

Wall check. Look for hairline cracks, old patches, flaking paint and damp stains, especially near window frames and the bathroom wall. Press a clean hand flat on suspect areas to feel for chalky or damp surfaces. Damp must be fixed before any finish goes on.

Decide the route. Flat, sound tiles may stay, with levelling and a vinyl floor over them if your contractor agrees. Hollow or badly uneven areas may need to be repaired or removed first. Our floor levelling guide and resale HDB prep guide explain the options.

Check with HDB or your contractor for any rules on works that affect the structure or wet areas. Do not assume your contractor has checked this for you; ask for confirmation in writing.

One Continuous Floor Across a Large Layout

In a large unit, flooring is your biggest single cost and your biggest design lever. A single vinyl floor from the front door through living and dining makes the layout feel intentional. Fewer joins also mean fewer places for dirt and wear.

Very long runs need thought. Ask your installer where to place joins or movement allowances, and where a transition strip is sensible at doorways. Our transition strips guide covers common join types.

Pick the floor colour for the biggest room, then test it in the smallest. A mid-tone wood-look usually hides dust and footprints across a large area better than very light or very dark options. See the flooring colour selection guide for undertone advice.

Check the core and wear layer for a high-traffic family unit with the core types guide and the wear layer guide. Ask your installer how the product behaves over a large uninterrupted area.

Large Walls: Where Wallpaper Earns Its Cost

Big rooms have big walls, and covering all of them is rarely the best use of budget. Choose the walls people see first: the sofa wall, the dining wall and the master bedroom headboard. Leave the rest in calm paint so the feature walls read as features.

Scale matters more in a large room. A small repeat can look busy across a wide wall, while a very large repeat needs a long, uninterrupted wall to read properly. Our uneven walls guide helps if older plaster is not perfectly flat.

Older walls may need skim coating or repair before wallpaper. Budget for this, because wallpaper shows every ridge in the surface beneath. A textured or heavier non-woven wallpaper hides minor flaws better than a smooth, glossy finish. See the non-woven wallpaper guide and HDB wallpaper guide.

Designer Tip: In a big living room, put the pattern on the wall you face when you walk in, not the wall behind the sofa. You see it more often and from further away. Keep the wall next to the window plain so daylight does not wash out the pattern.

Zoning a Big Layout: Living, Dining, Family and Bedrooms

A larger unit often has several living zones. Give each zone a clear job and a finish level. Use the same floor throughout and change the wall treatment to mark the zone.

Zone	Floor	Wall	Why
Living room	Continuous vinyl	One feature wall, rest paint	Main statement
Dining area	Same vinyl	Textured paint or wallpaper	Easy to wipe near food
Family or study area	Same vinyl	Calm colour	Focus and flexibility
Master bedroom	Vinyl or carpet	Headboard wallpaper	Quiet, low wear
Common bedrooms	Same vinyl	Paint or washable wallpaper	Simple and durable

This approach keeps the home from looking like a series of unrelated rooms. Our wall and floor colour coordination guide shows how to pair the colours.

Batch Planning: The Large-Area Risk Most Owners Miss

On a large floor or several large walls, small colour differences between production batches become visible. A tile that looks identical on a sample can differ slightly between cartons. A wallpaper roll from a different batch can show a shade shift across a wall.

Do three things. Calculate the total area, then add a sensible wastage allowance on top. Order everything in one go. And ask the supplier to confirm that all rolls and cartons share a batch where possible. Our colour variation guide explains why this happens.

Keep a few spare tiles or a spare roll for future repairs. Large units have more wear points, and matching a discontinued product years later is difficult.

Installer Tip: Open and lay out several cartons before installation starts and mix them. Mixing planks across cartons spreads small shade differences instead of creating a visible patch.

Ready to turn the plan into samples? Visit the Monli showroom at Tampines or WhatsApp +65 8112 4866 and share your floor plan.

Wall Decor ·Blush Pink Botanical Butterfly Wallpaper 7813

Wall Decor ·Ocean Blue Dolphin Wallpaper 6836

Wall Decor ·Light Blue Animal Pattern Wallpaper 6835

A Sensible Order of Decisions

Measure each room and write down the total floor and feature-wall area.
Run the floor and wall checks, and get a contractor opinion on prep.
Choose the floor first, because it is the largest cost and sets the colour base.
Choose wall colours against the floor sample, in the room, under your own lights.
Order everything together, with spares, and agree the installation sequence in writing.

Our order of works guide shows where finishes sit among the other trades, so nothing gets scratched by later work.

Executive Apartment Renovation Finishes: A Phased Budget

Assume you re-floor about 70 sqm across living, dining and bedrooms, and add wallpaper to three feature walls using about 10 rolls in total. These are assumptions for planning, so measure your real floor area first.

Standard LVT at S$6–10/sqm gives S$420–700 for material. Installation at S$3–6/sqm adds S$210–420. The floor therefore comes to S$630–1,120.

Mid-range wallpaper at S$18–35/roll gives S$180–350 for 10 rolls. Installation from S$15/roll adds from S$150. The walls come to roughly S$330–500, before wall repair.

The combined example is about S$960 to S$1,620. If budget is tight, do the floor and one feature wall first, then add the rest later. A phased plan is better than cheap finishes spread over everything.

Singapore Context: Older Blocks, Humidity and Ventilation

Older blocks may have different window layouts and ventilation from newer ones. In 70–90% RH, rooms that are shut for days while you are out can hold moisture. Open windows or run a fan when you can, and avoid blocking vents with built-in cabinets.

If your unit is a resale purchase, plan for repair time before finishes. A fresh coat of plaster or screed needs to cure, and the 28-day BTO wall rule is a useful benchmark for new plaster; ask your contractor about your own situation. Our wallpaper humidity guide explains the moisture risks.

Cool-white LED lighting is common, and it changes how large wall colours look. Test samples at night as well as in daylight before committing to a whole wall.

Cost Guide (S$): Executive Apartment Finishes

Tier	Wallpaper	Flooring
Budget	From S$8/roll	Vinyl sheet from S$3/sqm
Mid-range	S$18–35/roll	Standard LVT S$6–10/sqm
Premium	From S$28/sqm	Designer LVT S$12–18/sqm
Installation	From S$15/roll	S$3–6/sqm

Prices are indicative Monli reference ranges and exclude levelling, wall repair and removal of old floors. Larger areas often justify a full site check before quoting. Contact Monli for a project quote.

FAQs

What finishes suit an executive apartment best?
A continuous vinyl floor through the main living areas and two or three wallpaper feature walls suit most units. Keep wet areas tiled and use calm paint elsewhere. The best mix depends on your floor plan and the condition of the old slab.

Are executive apartments bigger than a 5-room HDB?
They are typically larger than a 5-room flat, but layouts differ by estate and era. Check your floor plan or the HDB documents for your unit. Measure the actual floor area before you order any finish.

Can I lay vinyl flooring over old tiles in my executive apartment?
Sometimes, if the tiles are flat, firm and not hollow. Your contractor should check for lifted tiles and uneven areas first. Hollow or damp areas usually need repair before any floor goes on.

How much do finishes cost for a large unit?
In our worked example, about 70 sqm of standard LVT plus 10 rolls of mid-range wallpaper comes to roughly S$960–1,620 including installation. That uses S$6–10/sqm, S$3–6/sqm, S$18–35/roll and installation from S$15/roll. Preparation and repairs are extra.

What is the biggest mistake in a large-unit renovation?
Ordering finishes in batches over several weeks. Large areas show colour differences between batches, and a small mismatch becomes a visible patch. Order all flooring and wallpaper together, and keep spares.

Should I wallpaper every wall in a large flat?
Usually not. Feature walls give more impact for less cost, and plain walls let the pattern breathe. Choose the walls seen first from the entrance and living area.

Executive Apartment Renovation Finishes Singapore