Korean Apartment Renovation Timeline: The Full Process and Work Order (공정 순서)
Renovating a Korean apartment is not one big job. It's a chain of about 15 to 17 small jobs that have to happen in a strict order. Demolition first. Plumbing before walls. Wallpaper before furniture. Get the order wrong and you tear out finished work. Get it right and the whole thing flows.
Renovating a Korean apartment is not one big job. It's a chain of about 15 to 17 small jobs that have to happen in a strict order. Demolition first. Plumbing before walls. Wallpaper before furniture. Get the order wrong and you tear out finished work. Get it right and the whole thing flows.
This guide walks the full work order, stage by stage, with real day counts. It's built from how Korean contractors actually sequence a job (공정 순서) and how the country's biggest interior platform, Ohouse (오늘의집), teaches homeowners to plan it.
Quick Answer: How long does a Korean apartment renovation take and in what order?
- Total time: A standard full renovation (올수리) of a 20-to-30 pyeong apartment runs about 20 to 30 days for a typical job, per the LX Z:IN construction-process guide. A lighter, finishes-only refresh can finish in 7 to 10 days.
- The fixed order: Demolition → plumbing/setup (설비) → windows (창호) → electrical wiring → carpentry (목공) → tile → film → flooring (마루) → wallpaper (도배) → furniture → lighting → move-in cleaning. The rule is rough-in before finish, wet trades before dry ones.
- Slowest single stages: Carpentry (목공) and tile usually eat the most calendar days. Custom furniture and imported tile add separate lead times because they're built off-site.
- Why order matters: Korean pros say keeping the sequence avoids re-work — you never finish a surface only to drill back into it for a pipe or wire. Skipping the order forces you to redo completed stages.
What is the standard work order for a Korean renovation (공정 순서)?
Korean interior work follows a logic that almost never changes: structure and rough-in first, finishes last, wet trades before dry trades. You demolish, fix the bones (pipes, wires, windows), then build out and decorate.
One Seoul interior pro who runs the account @monsteras.interior has posted the same canonical 17-step list twice on Threads, calling it the "best construction order I found after doing self-interior dozens of times" (monsteras.interior, Threads, 2025). Here is that order, the one most small Korean firms and DIY 셀프인테리어 homeowners follow:
| # | Stage (Korean) | Stage (English) | What happens |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 전체철거 | Full demolition | Strip old wallpaper, floors, fixtures |
| 2 | 마루철거 | Flooring removal | Pull up old wood/vinyl floor |
| 3 | 설비 (수도·확장·미장·방수) | Plumbing/setup | Water lines, room expansion, plaster, waterproofing |
| 4 | 창호교체 | Window replacement | Swap windows and balcony doors |
| 5 | 에어컨 배선 | AC wiring | Run lines for built-in/wall AC |
| 6 | 전기배선 | Electrical wiring | Re-route outlets, switches, circuits |
| 7 | 목공 | Carpentry | Framing, drywall, molding, built-ins |
| 8 | 타일 | Tile | Bathroom, kitchen, entry tile |
| 9 | 도기설치 | Sanitary fixtures | Toilet, basin install; waste haul-out |
| 10 | 필름 | Film | Adhesive film on doors, frames, cabinets |
| 11 | 마루 | Flooring (wood) | Lay new wood flooring |
| 12 | 도배 | Wallpaper (dobae) | Hang wallpaper |
| 13 | 가구 | Furniture | Kitchen, closets, built-in furniture |
| 14 | 조명 | Lighting | Install fixtures |
| 15 | 도장 | Paint | Paint laundry room and touch-ups |
| 16 | 중문·에어컨 커버 | Interior door / AC cover | Hang interior glass door, covers; move-in clean |
| 17 | 마감실리콘 | Finishing silicone | Final sealant/caulking pass |
The same logic shows up in the Ohouse (오늘의집) homeowner guide "인테리어 공사 순서 이해하기," which groups the work into demolition → setup → finish and stresses that the order protects finished surfaces (Ohouse, 오늘의집 Advice #8467).
Why can't you reorder these stages?
Each stage assumes the one before it is done. Wiring goes in the wall before carpentry closes the wall. Tile and waterproofing finish before flooring, so water never sits on new wood. Wallpaper goes up before furniture, so installers don't paper around cabinets. Reverse any of these and you cut, drill, or peel into a finished surface — which is exactly the re-work Korean pros warn against.
How long does each renovation stage take? (Stage-by-stage timeline)
Below are realistic Korean durations. The grouped four-phase version comes from the LifeBase construction-schedule guide; the detailed durations and the 20-to-30-day total come from the LX Z:IN process checklist.
The simple four-phase model
For a finishes-focused remodel, LifeBase breaks the job into four phases totaling 7 to 10 days (LifeBase, 2025):
| Phase | Work | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Demolition (철거) | Remove old finishes | 1–2 days |
| 2. Setup (설비) | Electrical, water, heating | 2–3 days |
| 3. Structure (구조) | Carpentry, drywall | 2–3 days |
| 4. Finishing (마감) | Flooring, wallpaper, lighting | 3–4 days |
The detailed per-trade timeline
A full 올수리 (everything renovated) on a 20-to-30 pyeong unit runs longer once you add windows, tile, and custom furniture. The LX Z:IN guide puts the average at 20 to 30 days and adds these stage notes (LX Z:IN Style Guide, 2025):
| Stage | Typical duration / note |
|---|---|
| Demolition + setup | ~3 working days plus 2–3 days curing before next stage |
| Windows (창호) | Measured 7–10 days before install (made to order) |
| Carpentry + electrical | Often run together; multi-day |
| Tile | Needs cement curing time built in |
| Paint / putty | Allow 2-day intervals between putty coats |
| Flooring vs. wallpaper | Wood flooring before wallpaper; vinyl (장판) after wallpaper |
| Furniture | Measured 7–10 days before install |
| Move-in cleaning | About half a day for a 20–30 pyeong home |
The LX Z:IN guide also recommends holding 2 to 3 buffer days in the schedule for surprises — a hidden leak, a delayed material, a failed inspection.
How size changes the timeline
Past about 30 pyeong, the job doesn't just get bigger — it gets more complex. Ohouse's "공사기간 얼마나 걸릴까" advice notes that larger homes add more carpentry and tile work, so a 30-pyeong-plus full renovation can stretch toward a month or more (Ohouse, 오늘의집 Advice #12225). Wall removal, balcony expansion (확장), and moving plumbing all add days on top.
Stage 1: How does demolition (철거) work and how long does it take?
Demolition is day one. Crews strip old wallpaper, pull up flooring, remove cabinets, and clear bathroom fixtures down to the concrete shell. For a standard apartment, this runs 1 to 2 days in the simple model.
Two practical Korean realities shape this stage:
- Waste disposal is a real line item. Demolition debris (폐기물) has to be hauled and dumped, and that cost scales with how much you tear out (AJD Interior cost guide, 2025).
- You can't move walls freely. In Korean apartments, structural (내력벽) walls can't come out. Only non-bearing walls can be removed or moved — confirm with management before you plan an open layout.
After demolition, the slab and any new plaster need curing time before finishes go on. That's the 2-to-3-day gap LX Z:IN builds in.
Stage 2: What happens during plumbing and setup (설비)?
설비 ("seolbi") is the rough-in stage — the unglamorous work that makes everything after it possible. It bundles several jobs that the @monsteras.interior list groups together: water lines (수도), room expansion (확장), plastering (미장), and waterproofing (방수).
This is where you:
- Re-route or replace water supply and drain lines
- Move heating (난방) pipes if you're changing the kitchen or bath layout
- Plaster (미장) uneven concrete flat so later finishes sit clean
- Waterproof (방수) the bathroom floor and walls
Why curing time can't be rushed
Anything cement-based — plaster, mortar bedding, waterproofing layers — needs to cure. Korean concrete-curing references note ordinary Portland cement wants at least 7 days of curing under standard conditions (around 20°C), and 14 days or more in cold weather under 10°C (VariousManuals curing guide, 2025). Most apartment jobs don't wait a full week on every patch, but bathroom waterproofing in particular should be given real drying time before tile goes on. Rush it and you trap moisture under the finish.
Stage 3: When do windows, electrical, and carpentry happen?
These three rough-in trades follow setup and have to finish before any decorative surface goes up.
Windows (창호) come early
Windows are made to order. The LX Z:IN guide says the install is measured 7 to 10 days ahead so the units are ready on schedule. They go in early because they're heavy, dusty work that you don't want near finished walls or floors. Korea's two dominant window and finishing brands are LX Hausys (lxhausys.com) and KCC (kccworld.co.kr) — most apartment jobs spec one or the other.
Electrical (전기배선) goes in open walls
Outlets, switches, and new circuits get wired while the walls are still open. AC line wiring (에어컨 배선) typically runs just before general electrical, per the @monsteras.interior order. Lighting fixtures don't go on now — only the wiring. The actual fixtures are one of the last steps (stage 14).
Carpentry (목공) builds the bones
목공 is framing, drywall (석고보드), molding, ceiling work, and the rough boxes for built-ins. It's one of the two slowest stages on most jobs. Carpentry closes the walls that electrical just wired, which is exactly why wiring has to come first.
Stage 4: Tile, film, flooring, and wallpaper — what's the finish order?
Now the apartment starts to look finished. The order inside this group is where most homeowners get confused, so here's the logic.
Tile and sanitary fixtures
Tile goes down in the bathroom, kitchen backsplash, and entry. Because tile sits on cement-based bedding, it needs curing time before the room gets heavy use. After tile, the toilet and basin (도기) are set, and the last demolition/packaging waste gets hauled out.
Film (필름)
Adhesive film (필름) wraps doors, door frames, and sometimes cabinet faces to change their color or finish without replacing them. It's a cheap, popular Korean upgrade and slots in after tile, before flooring.
The big question: flooring or wallpaper first?
This is the most-asked sequencing question in Korean renovation, and the answer depends on your floor type.
Wood flooring (마루): floor first, then wallpaper. The LX Z:IN guide states the rule plainly — 마루(wood) before 도배(wallpaper); 장판(vinyl sheet) after 도배.
Ohouse's homeowner Q&A explains why you might still flip wood and wallpaper based on wall condition (Ohouse, 오늘의집 Advice #8467):
- Bumpy, uneven walls → lay the floor (and baseboard) first. The wallpaper then comes down over the top edge of the baseboard, hiding wall imperfections.
- Smooth walls → wallpaper can go first. Then the baseboard mounts onto the wallpaper, and the seam where baseboard meets paper gets sealed with silicone. But if walls are uneven, the baseboard floats off the wall and the silicone line looks messy.
- If you floor first, protect it. Korean pros stress heavy floor protection (보양) so the finished wood survives the wallpaper crew working on top of it.
The baseboard (걸레받이) almost always gets installed by the flooring team, which is the hinge that decides this order.
Wallpaper (도배) timing
Dobae itself is fast. Across the 25-to-34 pyeong range, wallpaper hangs in 1 to 2 days — much quicker than carpentry or tile.
Stage 5: Furniture, lighting, paint, and final inspection
The home is nearly done. The last trades are the ones you can scratch, so they come last.
- Furniture (가구): Kitchen cabinets, closets, and built-ins. Like windows, custom furniture is measured 7 to 10 days ahead and built off-site, then installed near the end. Imported tile, custom stone counters, and made-to-order furniture all carry their own lead times that can stretch the schedule (Jipbro size/cost guide, 2025).
- Lighting (조명): Fixtures finally mount onto the wiring run back in stage 6.
- Paint (도장): Touch-ups and the laundry room get painted late, so fresh paint doesn't get dinged by other trades.
- Interior door (중문) + move-in cleaning: The glass interior door and AC covers go on, then a deep move-in cleaning (입주청소) — about half a day for a 20-to-30 pyeong home.
- Defect inspection (하자 점검): Walk the whole home and log every flaw before final payment. This is your leverage. The contractor fixes the punch list under the after-service (A/S) warranty.
How does Korean DIY (셀프인테리어) change the timeline?
Doing it yourself — 셀프인테리어 — doesn't change the order, only the pace. The sequence is non-negotiable whether a crew or you are holding the tools.
DIYers usually book individual trades (반장님, the trade foremen) one stage at a time and act as their own general contractor. That's why the @monsteras.interior schedule template exists: a solo homeowner has to line up demolition, then setup, then windows, and so on, calling a different specialist for each. The hard part isn't any single task — it's coordinating handoffs so the tile crew doesn't show up before the waterproofing has cured.
Ohouse (오늘의집) became the default place Koreans plan this. The platform — run by Bucketplace — passed 20 million cumulative app downloads and built an interior-construction marketplace whose cumulative transaction volume topped 1 trillion won; the company posted 2,879억 원 in 2024 revenue and its first-ever annual operating profit that year (Byline Network, 2025; 오늘의집, Namuwiki). Its homeowner Q&A boards are full of real sequencing questions, like which trade to call first (Ohouse Q&A #16193).
Korean renovation timeline at a glance
| Order | Stage | Korean | Typical days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Demolition | 철거 | 1–2 |
| 2 | Plumbing / setup | 설비 | 2–3 (+curing) |
| 3 | Windows | 창호 | install day; measured 7–10 days prior |
| 4 | Electrical / AC wiring | 전기·에어컨 배선 | within carpentry window |
| 5 | Carpentry | 목공 | multi-day (one of the longest) |
| 6 | Tile + fixtures | 타일·도기 | multi-day + curing |
| 7 | Film | 필름 | ~1 day |
| 8 | Flooring (wood) | 마루 | 1–2 |
| 9 | Wallpaper | 도배 | 1–2 |
| 10 | Furniture | 가구 | install day; measured 7–10 days prior |
| 11 | Lighting | 조명 | ~1 day |
| 12 | Paint / interior door | 도장·중문 | ~1 day |
| 13 | Move-in cleaning | 입주청소 | ~half day |
| 14 | Defect inspection | 하자 점검 | ~half day |
| Full renovation total | 올수리 | ~20–30 days | |
| Finishes-only total | ~7–10 days |
Frequently asked questions
Q: Does wallpaper (도배) or flooring (마루) go first in a Korean renovation? For wood flooring (마루), the floor and baseboard usually go in first, then wallpaper comes down over the baseboard's top edge — especially helpful on uneven walls. For vinyl sheet flooring (장판), wallpaper goes first and the vinyl goes after. The LX Z:IN guide states this rule directly, and Ohouse explains the wall-condition reasoning (LX Z:IN; Ohouse #8467).
Q: How long does a full Korean apartment renovation take? A full 올수리 of a 20-to-30 pyeong unit averages 20 to 30 days per LX Z:IN. A lighter finishes-only job can wrap in 7 to 10 days per LifeBase. Homes over 30 pyeong, or jobs with wall removal and plumbing relocation, run longer — often a month or more.
Q: Why is the work order so strict? Because each stage builds on a finished previous one. Wiring goes in before carpentry seals the wall; waterproofing and tile finish before flooring; wallpaper goes up before furniture. Korean pros keep the order to avoid re-work — finishing a surface and then cutting back into it for a pipe, wire, or cabinet is wasted money.
Q: What's the slowest stage? Carpentry (목공) and tile usually take the most days on-site. Off-site, custom furniture, imported tile, and made-to-order windows each carry 7-to-10-day lead times that can gate the schedule even when on-site crews are ready.
Q: Do I really need curing/drying days in the schedule? Yes. Cement-based work — plaster (미장), tile bedding, and bathroom waterproofing (방수) — needs to dry before the next layer. Standard cement wants at least 7 days of curing under normal conditions and longer in the cold (VariousManuals, 2025). LX Z:IN also recommends keeping 2 to 3 buffer days in the plan for surprises. Skipping drying time traps moisture and causes defects later.
Related guides
- Korean Apartment Interior Budgets by Square Meter
- How Koreans Prepare a New Apartment Before Moving In
- Understanding Ohouse: Korea's Biggest Interior Inspiration Platform
- Korean Self-Interior (Sel-Injeolia): DIY Home Transformation Guide
- How Korean Interior Differs by Apartment Age
Day counts and stage notes in this guide reflect typical Korean apartment renovations and the sources cited above. Your contractor's schedule will vary with home size, scope, season, and material lead times. Confirm structural-wall and balcony-expansion rules with your building management before planning layout changes.