Tiong Bahru's flats are Singapore's oldest public housing, built from the 1920s-30s under the Singapore Improvement Trust and later absorbed into HDB in 1973.
Tiong Bahru is a special case among Singapore's older estates: its earliest blocks were built by the Singapore Improvement Trust in the 1920s and 30s, decades before HDB existed. Post-war flats came under HDB management in 1973 with renewed 99-year leases, but the estate's character — and much of its original timber flooring — dates from well before then.
That long history means Tiong Bahru homes can have a wider mix of original flooring eras than almost anywhere else in Singapore, from pre-war timber boards to 1970s-era parquet laid in during renovations after the HDB handover.
Tiong Bahru's SIT-era blocks are protected for their architectural heritage, which means many owners are restoring and maintaining original features — including flooring — rather than gutting them, in keeping with the estate's conservation status.
Even though its pre-war flats are the oldest public housing in Singapore, Tiong Bahru's ageing blocks are still considered candidates for future redevelopment consideration, much like Toa Payoh and Bukit Merah, despite the 1973 lease renewal that brought them under HDB.
For owners restoring a Tiong Bahru flat, original timber or parquet flooring is often one of the most valuable heritage features to preserve rather than replace, given the estate's conservation profile and buyer demand for authenticity.
Restoration work in Tiong Bahru is usually about preserving heritage character, so we match repairs closely to the floor's existing pattern and finish rather than modernising it. We handle parquet floor repair for gaps, warping and water-stained boards, parquet polishing to bring back the shine on dulled floors, and full parquet restoration for flats where decades of wear call for a whole-floor refinish.
View Parquet Services →Many Tiong Bahru flats and nearby condos that were upgraded over the years also have marble in the living room, bathroom or kitchen counters. Our group offers full marble polishing services — grinding, honing, crystallization, stain removal, and chip or crack repair — for surfaces that have dulled or yellowed with age and humidity.
View Marble Services →Older estates like Tiong Bahru tend to have a mix of window types, from original steel casement windows to later replacements — and our MSeal magnetic insect screens are designed to fit over almost all of them without drilling. They block mosquitoes (including dengue-carrying Aedes mosquitoes), flies and other insects while keeping airflow through the flat.
View Insect Screen Services →Older estates often need more than one type of repair at once. Coordinating them with a single provider saves time and avoids repeat visits.
No juggling three separate vendors who don't know your flat.
Renovation-time visits planned together instead of independently.
A leak affecting both parquet and nearby marble skirting is one visit, not two.
Refinish rather than replace, no-drill rather than permanent, wherever possible.
Repair, polishing, and restoration for timber floors across Tiong Bahru and other mature estates.
View Parquet Services →Grinding, honing, crystallization, stain removal, and repair for marble floors and surfaces.
View Marble Services →No-drill, removable insect screens for windows, doors, and balconies (MSeal).
View Insect Screens →Living in Tiong Bahru? Send us a photo of your floor and we'll tell you what it needs.
WhatsApp a Photo NowParquet, marble, or insect screens — WhatsApp us a few photos and we'll tell you what's needed before you commit to anything.
