After collecting the keys to your new BTO flat, your next instinct might be to clean up and start preparing for renovation.
You’ll likely come across several stickers and labels left behind by the construction process, including strips of red and blue tape running vertically along your bathroom walls.
Unlike the protective stickers on your windows or sanitary fittings, these coloured tapes aren’t meant to be removed immediately.
Here’s what every new BTO homeowner should know before peeling them off.
HDB BTO tapes: what do they mean?
Image credit: @supermarket.date via Instagram
The coloured tapes indicate the routing of the concealed plumbing inside your bathroom walls: Red tape marks the hot water pipe, Blue tape marks the cold water pipe.
In most new HDB BTO flats, the bathroom plumbing is concealed behind finished wall tiles instead of being exposed.
Once the bathroom is complete, the pipes are no longer visible, so these coloured tapes provide a simple way to indicate their location.
The markings are applied during construction before the flat is handed over to homeowners, allowing contractors and homeowners to identify the pipe routes without having to rely on drawings or guesswork.
What to do before you remove them
Image credit: @lynnerlah via Lemon8
Many common bathroom installations require screws to be drilled into the tiled wall, including:
- Mirror cabinets
- Towel bars
- Shower shelves
- Toilet roll holders
- Bathroom hooks
- Vanity accessories
Before drilling, contractors need to know where the concealed pipes are located. The coloured tapes provide a visual guide, helping them avoid drilling directly into the plumbing.
Some homeowners choose to take photos of the tape markings before removing them. While this can serve as a backup reference, leaving the tapes on the wall throughout the renovation is still the safest option, as it allows your contractor or interior designer to refer to the actual pipe locations during installation.
Image credit: @gummyeliz via Instagram
When can you remove the tape?
After all your wall drilling is complete, the tapes have served their purpose and can be removed.
If you’re engaging an interior designer or renovation contractor, they would usually know not to remove the tapes during site preparation or cleaning, but it’s still worth reminding them, especially if multiple contractors are working on your renovation.
What happens if a pipe gets drilled?
Image credit: HDB
A punctured pipe can cause water to leak inside the wall cavity rather than onto the bathroom floor, meaning the damage may not be immediately visible.
If left undetected, moisture trapped behind the tiles can potentially affect surrounding finishes and waterproofing.
Repairing the damaged section is also more complicated than replacing an exposed pipe. Depending on where the puncture is located, the contractor may need to:
- Hack away the affected wall tiles.
- Replace or repair the damaged pipe.
- Reinstate the waterproofing if it has been disturbed.
- Retile the hacked section of the wall.
Besides increasing renovation costs, these repairs can also delay the overall renovation timeline while repair work is carried out.
For this reason, avoiding the pipe altogether is much simpler and more economical than repairing it afterwards.
What to do if you’ve taken yours off already
Image credit: EasyInspection.sg
Experienced renovation contractors can often estimate the plumbing layout based on HDB’s standard bathroom pipe configuration.
Some contractors also use pipe detection equipment to locate concealed metal or plastic pipes before drilling into the wall.
However, these methods require additional time and equipment, and they may not be necessary if the original markings are still available.
If you’ve removed the tape but haven’t started renovation yet, any photos you took beforehand can also serve as a useful reference for your contractor.
What do the red & blue tape in new BTO flats mean
The red and blue tapes may seem insignificant, but they help save the extra money and man-hours that would otherwise be spent identifying the pipes or fixing any damage caused by not knowing where they are.
Leaving them in place until all drilling works are completed gives your contractor a clear visual reference of where the concealed plumbing runs.
It’s a simple precaution that takes almost no effort, but could save you from expensive mistakes before you’ve even moved into your new home.
For more renovation guides, read:
- 12 best bathroom accessory stores
- What to look out for when choosing IDs or contractors
- 16 hidden renovation costs
Cover image adapted from: @lainchuahh via Lemon8, @supermarket.date via Instagram
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