Walk into most flooring showrooms and the pitch lands within a minute: this plank is thicker, so it lasts longer. It sounds reasonable, and it sells the upgrade. But after years of fitting floors across HDB flats, condos and landed homes, here is the straight version. The total board thickness, the 5mm or 6mm or 7mm figure on the brochure, is not what decides how long your floor survives. The wear layer does. That distinction saves people real money, so it is worth getting right before you sign anything.
Compare the thickness options
Tap a thickness to see what it really means and where it fits
5mm: the LN standard, the everyday choice
Most LN series, with a 0.5mm wear layer
6mm: a number competitors market
Often the same wear layer in a thicker package
6.5mm: the LN Ultra premium comfort
Our thickest series, a genuine comfort upgrade
7mm: padding the number
A figure that markets well, often inflated by underlayment
Three numbers people confuse
Almost every thickness argument comes down to mixing up three separate measurements. Once you separate them, the showroom pitch falls apart neatly.
1. The wear layer, the number that decides durability
The wear layer is the clear, transparent skin on top of the printed wood or stone design. It takes every footstep, every dragged dining chair, every bit of grit tracked in from outside. It is measured in millimetres, and it is the only thickness figure that tracks how long the floor stays looking new. A floor does not fail because the core is thin, it fails because the wear layer scuffs through to the print. Every LN Flooring LVT series carries a 0.5mm wear layer, a strong residential and light-commercial spec, and that is the number our 25-year material warranty is built on. When a salesperson talks durability but quotes you total thickness, they are quoting the wrong number.
2. Total board thickness, the number that decides feel
This is the whole plank: the wear layer, the printed film, the core and any backing, added together. It is the 5mm, 6mm, 6.5mm or 7mm on the label. What it actually governs is rigidity, sound underfoot and how forgiving the floor is over a slightly uneven subfloor. A thicker plank can feel a touch more solid and quiet, and bridges minor dips a little better. That is a comfort benefit, and a real one. It is not a lifespan benefit. Two planks with the same 0.5mm wear layer will wear at the same rate whether the board is 5mm or 7mm.
3. Underlayment, a separate layer entirely
Underlayment is the thin cushioning layer that sits between the subfloor and the planks. It softens the step, dampens hollow sound and smooths over tiny imperfections in the screed. Sometimes it is attached to the back of the plank, which inflates the headline thickness figure, and sometimes it is rolled out separately. Either way it is a comfort and acoustics layer, nothing to do with how long the surface lasts. When a 7mm plank looks dramatically thicker than a 5mm one, an attached underlayment is often the reason.
So what should you actually ask for?
Ignore the headline thickness for a moment and ask two things. First, what is the wear layer? At 0.5mm you are well covered for a home, and across our range that figure never changes, so durability is a settled question. Second, how does the floor need to feel and what is it going over? Over a sound, level HDB screed, 5mm is the sensible default and what we fit most often. If you want a more cushioned step, or you are doing an overlay over existing tiles where a thicker plank bridges the grout lines better, the 6.5mm Ultra series is the upgrade that makes sense. If you are still weighing your options at the format level, our 2026 vinyl flooring buyer's guide covers the full picture.
| Thickness | What it affects | Who it's for |
|---|---|---|
| 5mm (LN standard) | Rigid and quiet enough for a sound subfloor | Most HDB and condo floors over a level screed |
| 6mm | Marginally firmer feel, often same wear layer | Buyers who like a slightly more solid step |
| 6.5mm (LN Ultra) | More cushioned, warmer, forgiving over dips | Comfort-first homes and overlay-over-tile jobs |
| 7mm | Mostly extra core or attached underlayment | A competitor headline number, not a durability gain |
0.5mm wear layer and a 25-year material warranty across every LN series. Whether you choose 5mm Core at S$3.20 per square foot or the 6.5mm Ultra at S$4.80, the wear layer is identical and so is the durability promise. The price and thickness differences are about feel and finish, not how long the floor lasts, and every series is supply and install with a 25-year material warranty plus a 1-year workmanship warranty, from a BCA registered, bizSafe Level 3 contractor.
The bottom line for Singapore homes
Thicker is not better, it is mostly a sales line dressed up as durability. For the vast majority of HDB and condo floors laid over a sound subfloor screed, 5mm with a 0.5mm wear layer is plenty, and stepping up to 6.5mm Ultra buys you comfort and a more premium feel, not a longer life. The thing that actually protects your investment, the wear layer, is the same across our whole range, so you can choose on feel and budget with full confidence. The one place we would lean thicker is an overlay job over existing tiles, where a rigid plank handles the grout lines more gracefully.
Read next
If you are still deciding between formats rather than thickness, our SPC vs LVT guide explains why we supply warm, quiet LVT rather than rigid SPC. The full range and pricing sit on our flooring page, and the broader 2026 buyer's guide ties it all together. When you are ready, send us your unit details and we will recommend the right series and thickness for each room.