HDB bathroom design: tiles, fittings and layout

Bathroom ideas

1. 

   01Split the room into a wet zone and a dry zone

   Put the shower at the far end, the toilet in the middle and the vanity nearest the door, so you never walk through wet floor to wash your hands. Separate the shower with a glass screen and, if you like, a low kerb: HDB lists a cement mortar kerb of up to 100mm high and 100mm wide in a bathroom as work that needs no permit. A kerb plus a screen keeps splashes in the shower and lets the rest of the floor dry within minutes, which is the single biggest upgrade for a small toilet.

2. 02Overlay the floor in a new BTO instead of hacking

   For the first 3 years after block completion, HDB-supplied toilet finishes cannot be removed, but HDB allows new floor finishes laid over the existing ones with adhesive. Its guidelines cap the overlay at 13mm including adhesive, over only one existing layer. Thin overlay tiles or porcelain tiles laid with tile adhesive keep the original waterproofing intact, avoid hacking noise and cut the job to days. Ask your contractor to show how the new level meets the floor trap and the door threshold before work starts.

3. 

   03Float the vanity off the floor

   A wall-hung vanity with a gap underneath lets you mop straight through, keeps the cabinet base out of standing water and makes the room look bigger. Use a carcass that tolerates splashes, such as PVC foam board or aluminium, and a solid surface or quartz top with an undermount or integrated basin so there is no rim for grime. In a small HDB common bathroom, a compact vanity is usually enough; measure the door swing first so the door does not hit the basin, and size the vanity to what is left.

4. 04Use a mirror cabinet instead of hacking a niche

   Shower niches look good in magazines, but many HDB bathroom walls carry concealed water pipes, and structural walls cannot be hacked. HDB tells owners to take precautions when drilling where concealed pipes run and to treat its pipe layout plans only as a guide. A mirror cabinet over the basin gives you the same storage for toiletries without cutting into a wall. For the shower, a corner shelf fixed with short screws, or a ledge built into a pipe box-up, is the safer option.

5. 05Box up pipes the HDB way

   Exposed pipes are the most common complaint in BTO toilets. HDB allows service ducts and piping (excluding gas pipes) to be enclosed with lightweight non-combustible materials, provided there is a removable access opening of at least 600mm x 600mm for inspection. If a pipe ever needs total replacement, you pay to remove the box-up. Design the box-up as a feature: tile it to match the wall, top it with a ledge for bottles, and place the access panel where a cabinet or towel will not block it.

6. 06Pick tile sizes that drain well

   Large-format porcelain tiles on the walls give fewer grout lines to scrub and make a small bathroom feel calm. On the shower floor, smaller tiles or mosaics follow the slope to the floor trap more easily, so water does not pond. Choose a matte or textured finish on the floor for grip, keep grout joints consistent, and use the same wall tile from floor to ceiling so the room reads as one surface. Patterned tiles work best on one wall only.

7. 

   07Plan lighting and ventilation together

   A single ceiling light casts shadows on your face at the mirror. Add a light over or built into the mirror, and if you install a false ceiling, use a moisture-resistant board and leave access for pipes above. Keep the louvre window or vent clear of shelving so air can move. If you replace the HDB vent, a permit is needed and HDB specifies wire-glass louvres at least 6mm thick with a U-channel safety cleat on every louvre. Anti-mould paint on the ceiling helps where steam collects.

8. 08Add a bathtub only if it is ready-made

   An HDB bathroom can take a bathtub, but HDB allows only ready-made long baths: building a water tank from bricks or blocks is not allowed, and the toilet cannot be extended to fit the bath. The void under the bath must be kept (not filled with mortar), with an inspection opening and weep holes. In most HDB bathrooms a tub takes the whole shower area, so think about a bathtub in the master bathroom only, and keep the common bathroom as a quick, easy-to-clean shower room.

What we would use in a bathroom

• Floor

  Overlay tiles (thin tiles over existing finishes) in a matte, slip-resistant finish

  In a BTO within its first 3 years, an adhesive overlay is the only way to change the floor without removing HDB finishes. A matte or textured tile gives grip when wet, and the thin build keeps the new level within HDB's 13mm overlay limit so the door and floor trap still work. In a resale flat, the same look can be laid on fresh waterproofing.

  Also good: Glazed porcelain tiles with new waterproofing after the 3-year period, or mosaic tiles on the shower floor

  Compare every tiles option

• Walls

  Large-format porcelain tiles and slabs

  Fewer grout lines mean less mould to scrub in a humid bathroom, and a large tile from floor to ceiling makes a small HDB toilet look wider. Porcelain absorbs very little water and wipes clean easily. Ask your contractor to plan the layout so cuts land behind the door or the vanity, not in the middle of the shower wall.

  Also good: Glazed porcelain tiles in a standard size for a tighter budget

  Compare every tiles option

• Vanity

  Aluminium carcass with a solid surface top and undermount basin

  Bathroom cabinets sit in constant humidity and get splashed daily. Aluminium and PVC foam board do not swell like particleboard when water gets in. A solid surface top with an undermount basin has no rim or seam for grime, and minor scratches can be sanded out. Mounting it on the wall keeps the base dry and the floor easy to mop.

  Also good: PVC foam board carcass, or a ready-made vanity with integrated ceramic basin

  Compare every bathroom vanities option

• Mirror and storage

  Mirror cabinet

  A mirror cabinet doubles as storage for toiletries and medicine without taking floor space or hacking into a wall that may carry concealed pipes. Choose one with a moisture-resistant carcass and, if possible, built-in lighting so your face is lit evenly. Align its width with the vanity for a clean look.

  Also good: A plain mirror with an open shelf above the vanity

  Compare every bathroom vanities option

• Shower partition

  Frameless sliding glass

  A sliding screen keeps the wet zone sealed without a door swinging into a narrow HDB bathroom. Tempered glass with minimal frames is easy to squeegee and keeps the room visually open. HDB notes that installing a shower screen must not tamper with the floor slab, so fixings go into the walls and the kerb or tiles only.

  Also good: Fixed walk-in panel if the room is wide enough, or a framed aluminium screen on a budget

  Compare every shower screens option

• Toilet

  Wall-hung toilet with concealed cistern

  With the bowl off the floor, there is nowhere for dirt to collect and mopping takes seconds. The cistern hides in a box-up that can also cover pipes and form a shelf. Check the existing outlet position first, because it decides whether a wall-hung bowl fits. HDB requires any toilet pan installation or replacement to be done by a PUB Licensed Plumber.

  Also good: One-piece floor-mounted toilet, which is simpler to fit and still easy to clean

  Compare every sanitaryware option

• Shower and hot water

  Thermostatic shower mixer with an instant water heater

  A thermostatic mixer holds the temperature steady, which matters with children or elderly parents. An instant heater suits a common bathroom used for quick showers and takes little wall space. If two bathrooms run hot water at the same time or you want a rain shower, compare it with a storage heater on the materials page.

  Also good: Exposed rain shower set with a storage water heater for the master bathroom

  Compare every sanitaryware option

• Ceiling

  Moisture-resistant boards (calcium silicate and MR gypsum)

  Bathroom ceilings take steam every day, so ordinary gypsum board sags and stains. HDB requires false ceilings to use non-combustible materials and the owner to remove and reinstate them for inspection and maintenance, so plan an access panel under pipes and the water heater. A moisture-resistant board with anti-mould paint stays clean for longer.

  Also good: Aluminium strip and panel ceilings, which are fully moisture-proof

  Compare every false ceilings option

• Door

  Slide-and-swing bathroom door

  A slide-and-swing door saves the space a full swing door takes, which helps in a tight common bathroom where the door hits the basin or toilet. HDB's guidelines list replacing internal doors with timber or plastic doors, and installing sliding glass or PVC folding doors at the bathroom entrance without removing the lintol, as work that needs no permit.

  Also good: Aluminium, PVC or ABS swing bathroom door, or a bi-fold bathroom door

  Compare every doors and gates option