Debated in Parliament on 6 Feb 2017.
Ms Sun Xueling asked the Minister for National Development (a) whether there has been an assessment on the practicality of providing wooden laminated doors for HDB bathrooms given usage patterns; and (b) whether HDB will consider replacing the wooden laminated doors with aluminium bi-fold doors for the bathrooms of new HDB residential developments.
The Housing and Development Board (HDB) has provided laminated timber bathroom doors for standard Build-To-Order (BTO) flats since 2001. These doors have undergone performance tests, including repeated wetting and drying cycle tests, and meet the requisite industry standards for use.
However, depending on their usage habits, some residents could find such timber doors unsuitable. For example, in bathrooms where the door could be frequently splashed with water due to floor washing, bathing patterns or lack of shower screen. In such cases, deterioration would appear over time.
It is thus the flat owners' responsibility to use and maintain the doors properly. Nonetheless, if issues with the laminated timber doors occur within the one-year defects liability period (DLP), HDB will perform rectification, which may include one-for-one replacement.
Separately, HDB has been carrying out studies on new bathroom door options as part of its regular effort to keep flat fitting designs up to date. One new option is laminated unplasticised polyvinyl chloride (UPVC) folding doors. These doors are durable, easy to maintain, and offer a modern timber look and feel that complements the bedroom doors. They are also more resistant to fungus growth. Since November 2015, HDB has introduced laminated UPVC folding doors for bathrooms in new public housing development launches.
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