Korean Flooring Materials Guide: Jangpan, Maru, and Tile Specs (2026)

Picking flooring in a Korean apartment is not like picking flooring anywhere else. The floor sits on top of ondol (온돌), the underfloor heating that warms almost every home in Korea. That one fact changes everything. A material that warps under heat is a bad choice here, even if it looks beautiful.

This guide breaks down the main flooring types you will see in Korean homes and on platforms like Ohouse (오늘의집) (ko). We cover what each material is, how thick it comes, what it costs per pyeong, and which ones play nice with floor heating. The goal is simple. Help you choose without getting overcharged.

Quick Answer

• Jangpan (장판) is cheap sheet vinyl, the most common Korean floor.
• Ondol underfloor heating drives every flooring choice in Korea.
• Maru (마루) means wood or laminate flooring, costs more than jangpan.
• Porcelain tile suits wet areas like bathrooms and entryways.

What is jangpan (장판) flooring?

Jangpan (장판) is sheet vinyl flooring. It comes in wide rolls that get laid down over the subfloor, often glued at the edges. It is the cheapest flooring option in Korea and the most common in older and budget apartments.

The big appeal is cost and heat. Jangpan is thin, so it transfers ondol heat fast. It is also soft underfoot, which Koreans like since most homes are shoe-free and people sit and sleep on the floor.

Thickness is the main spec to watch. Thin jangpan runs 1.8mm, the standard choice is 2.2mm, and cushioned versions go 4.5mm or more for sound dampening. The thinner sheets are cheaper but show every bump in the subfloor, and heavy furniture can tear them, per the breakdown at Houstep (하우스텝) (ko).

Modern jangpan has come a long way in looks. Brands like LX Z:IN (LX지인) (ko) now make vinyl that mimics wood grain and even porcelain. So you get a stone or wood look at a fraction of the price.

There are two broad grades of jangpan worth knowing. Regular vinyl sheet is the everyday product in most homes. Cushioned or "loss" jangpan adds a foam layer for sound and comfort, which matters in apartments where downstairs noise complaints are common.

Installation is part of why jangpan stays cheap. A roll gets cut to the room, laid flat, and the seams are heat-welded or taped. A single bedroom can be done in an afternoon. Some renovators even buy LX Hausys sheet by the 10cm cut and lay it themselves, as seen at Jangpan Nara (장판나라) (ko).

What is the difference between jangpan and maru (마루)?

Jangpan is vinyl. Maru (마루) is wood-based flooring laid as planks. That is the core split. Maru looks and feels more like real wood, costs more, and lasts longer in most cases.

But "maru" is not one thing. It is a family of products with very different prices and properties:

• Gang-maru (강마루) is plywood with a tough wood-grain film bonded on top. It is glued down, transfers heat well, and resists dents. This is the market favorite right now.
• Gang-hwa maru (강화마루) is reinforced laminate built on high-density fiberboard (HDF). It is hard and scratch-resistant but feels colder and can swell if water gets under it.
• Wonmok maru (원목마루) is solid or engineered wood with a real wood top layer 1-3mm thick. It looks the most premium and costs the most.

There is also deco tile (데코타일), often called LVT abroad. These are small vinyl planks or squares that glue down individually. They mimic wood or stone, cost more than sheet jangpan, and give a more premium plank look. They sit between jangpan and maru on price.

The trade-off is money versus feel. Jangpan wins on price and warmth. Maru wins on looks and durability. Ohouse (오늘의집) (ko) has a good side-by-side if you want to compare brands.

One naming quirk trips people up. You will also see "ondol maru" (온돌마루), which is the older name for plywood-core maru (합판마루). It was engineered to conduct ondol heat better than solid wood, and the term stuck. Today gang-maru has largely taken over that role.

For a full room-by-room cost picture, see our Korean self interior cost guide. Flooring is usually one of the bigger line items.

What flooring works best with ondol heating?

Ondol (온돌) is the reason Korean flooring choices look different from the West. Heated water runs through pipes in the slab, and the floor radiates that warmth up into the room. So the flooring on top must do two things. Conduct heat well and tolerate repeated heating cycles without warping.

This is why thin jangpan and gang-maru dominate. Both sit close to the heat source and pass it through quickly. Gang-maru in particular is glued flat to the slab, so there is no air gap to block the heat, as explained by Jootek (주택위키) (ko).

Solid wood is the problem child. Wonmok maru has a low heat-conduction rate and the thick wood layer can crack or warp as it expands and contracts with the heating. It can be used over ondol, but it needs careful installation and stable humidity.

Gang-hwa maru (laminate) conducts heat but feels cold to the touch and uses a click-lock floating install. That floating gap slows heat transfer a little. For pure ondol performance, glued gang-maru or jangpan is the safer pick.

Why does the install method matter so much? Heat moves best through direct contact. A glued floor like gang-maru or jangpan touches the warm slab across its whole surface. A floating floor leaves a thin air layer, and air is a poor heat conductor. So two floors made of similar material can heat differently based on how they were laid, a point the contractors at Weolbu (월부) (ko) stress when comparing jangpan, gang-maru, and tile.

Tile over ondol deserves a note. Porcelain conducts heat well and never warps, so it is great in heated bathrooms and entryways. But it feels cold the moment the heat is off, and it is hard underfoot. That is why few Koreans tile a whole living room even though it handles ondol fine.

Quick rule of thumb for ondol:

• Best heat transfer: jangpan (thin sheet vinyl), glued deco tile
• Great balance: gang-maru (glued laminate)
• Works but cooler: gang-hwa maru (floating laminate)
• Use with caution: wonmok maru (solid/engineered wood)

How much does Korean flooring cost per pyeong?

Korean flooring is priced per pyeong (평), the standard unit for floor area. One pyeong equals 3.3058 square meters, a little over 35 square feet. Quotes split into material cost and labor, so always ask which one you are looking at.

Here is the full breakdown. Prices are rough 2026 ranges in Korean won (KRW) and shift with brand, grade, and region.

Material	Korean name	Typical thickness (mm)	Approx. cost per pyeong (KRW)	Ondol compatibility	Durability	Best room
Sheet vinyl	장판 jangpan	1.8 - 4.5	₩30,000 - ₩90,000	Excellent	Low-medium	Bedrooms, budget whole-home
Deco tile / LVT	데코타일 deco-tile	3.0 - 5.0	₩50,000 - ₩120,000	Good	Medium	Living room, kitchen
Laminate (glued)	강마루 gang-maru	7.5 - 9.0	₩80,000 - ₩170,000	Good	High	Living room, whole-home
Reinforced laminate	강화마루 gang-hwa maru	8.0 - 12.0	₩70,000 - ₩140,000	Medium	High	Low-traffic rooms, rentals
Solid / engineered wood	원목마루 wonmok maru	9.0 - 15.0	₩150,000 - ₩350,000+	Caution	Medium-high	Premium living room, study
Porcelain tile	포세린 타일 porcelain	6.0 - 12.0	₩100,000 - ₩250,000	Good	Very high	Bathroom, kitchen, entryway

A few notes on the numbers. Jangpan is the cheapest because it is thin and fast to lay. Gang-maru sits in the middle and is where most renovators land. Wonmok is the priciest, and premium species like walnut or teak can push past ₩300,000 per pyeong for material alone, per Kkumigo (꾸미고) (ko).

For brand-level material prices, Danawa (다나와) (ko) lists gang-maru and other flooring so you can compare before you call a contractor. LX Hausys gang-maru lines, for example, run roughly ₩116,000 to ₩142,000 per box including VAT.

Labor adds to all of these. Expect ₩30,000 to ₩50,000 per pyeong for maru install and a bit less for jangpan. If you want the whole renovation picture, our kitchen renovation budget guide covers how flooring fits with cabinets and counters.

Which flooring is best for a rental (jeonse/wolse)?

If you are renting on jeonse or wolse, you usually cannot rip out flooring. But many renters do small upgrades, and landlords replace worn floors between tenants. The math here favors cheap and easy.

Jangpan is the obvious rental pick. It is the cheapest, installs fast, and a worn sheet is cheap to swap. Most older rental units already have it.

If a landlord wants something nicer without big spend, gang-hwa maru (reinforced laminate) is popular because the click-lock planks float over the subfloor. No glue, faster install, and they can be lifted later. The downside is it swells if water sits on it, so keep it out of kitchens and bathrooms.

For renters who want a look upgrade they can remove, peel-and-stick deco tile or LVT planks over the existing floor is a common trick. It is reversible and cheap. Just check your lease first.

Skip wonmok maru in a rental. The cost and care needs make no sense when you do not own the place. Save solid wood for a home you plan to keep.

If you are doing a bigger rental refresh, our DIY Korean wallpaper (dobae) guide pairs well with a flooring swap. New floors and fresh wallpaper transform a unit cheaply.

How to choose your Korean flooring

Start with the constraint, not the look. Ondol heating comes first. Then budget. Then aesthetics.

Walk through it like this:

1. Confirm ondol. Almost every Korean home has it, so favor thin, heat-friendly materials.
2. Set your per-pyeong budget. Jangpan for tight budgets, gang-maru for the sweet spot, wonmok if money is no object.
3. Match the room. Wet areas get porcelain tile. Bedrooms can take cheaper jangpan. Living rooms deserve gang-maru.
4. Decide own vs rent. Owners can invest in maru. Renters should stick to jangpan or removable options.

For most Korean apartments, the practical answer is gang-maru in the living areas and 2.2mm jangpan in the bedrooms. It balances cost, warmth, and durability. The Sigongplus combined-install option (ko) shows exactly this pairing, gang-maru in the living room with 2.2mm jangpan in the rooms.

If your subfloor is uneven or old, spend a little more on thicker jangpan or proper leveling first. Thin sheets telegraph every flaw underneath.

One more factor that quietly drives the choice is resale and rental appeal. Buyers and tenants in Korea read flooring as a signal of how well a place was kept. Worn or yellowed jangpan reads as dated. Clean gang-maru in a neutral wood tone reads as cared-for and move-in ready.

This is why many owners upgrade from old jangpan to gang-maru before selling, even on a budget. It is one of the cheaper changes that lifts how the whole unit feels. The same logic applies to wallpaper and lighting, which is why renovators usually tackle floors, walls, and ceilings together rather than one at a time.

Whatever you pick, get at least two or three quotes and confirm whether each price includes labor and the removal of old flooring. Disposal fees for old jangpan or tile can surprise you if they are not written into the estimate.

Material durability and care

Each flooring type ages differently. Jangpan can tear and dent but is cheap to replace. Gang-maru resists scratches well thanks to its film top layer. Wonmok scratches more easily and needs periodic oiling or refinishing.

Heat and water are the two enemies. Solid wood hates the dry-heat cycles of ondol. Laminate and reinforced laminate hate standing water. Porcelain tile shrugs off both, which is why it owns the bathroom.

For day-to-day care, all of these do fine with a damp mop and no harsh solvents. Felt pads under furniture legs save jangpan and wonmok from dents. Keep indoor humidity stable to protect any wood flooring over ondol.

Lifespan also varies a lot. Jangpan often gets replaced every 5 to 10 years, partly because it is cheap and partly because it dents. Gang-maru can last 10 to 15 years with normal use. Porcelain tile is effectively permanent. Wonmok can last decades but only with refinishing, which adds cost over time.

A quick word on noise. Inter-floor noise is a real issue in Korean apartments, and flooring affects it. Cushioned jangpan and thicker underlay help dampen footstep sound. Hard surfaces like porcelain tile transmit more noise, which is another reason tile stays in wet zones rather than living areas.

If you want to see how these choices play out in real homes, our before-and-after renovation case studies show flooring picks in finished spaces.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest flooring in a Korean apartment?

Jangpan (장판), or sheet vinyl, is the cheapest. Material runs roughly ₩30,000 to ₩90,000 per pyeong depending on thickness. It is also the fastest to install, which keeps labor low. That is why it dominates budget and older apartments across Korea.

Can I install solid wood flooring over ondol heating?

You can, but with care. Wonmok maru (원목마루) has low heat conductivity and the thick wood layer can warp or crack as it heats and cools. Installers use stable engineered cores and control humidity to reduce this. For pure ondol performance, glued gang-maru or jangpan is the safer choice.

What is the difference between gang-maru and gang-hwa maru?

Gang-maru (강마루) is plywood-based, glued flat to the floor, and transfers ondol heat well. Gang-hwa maru (강화마루) is reinforced laminate on HDF, installed as a floating click-lock floor. Gang-maru feels warmer and bonds to the slab. Gang-hwa maru is hard and scratch-resistant but feels colder and can swell with water.

What flooring is best for a Korean bathroom?

Porcelain tile (포세린 타일) is best for bathrooms and other wet areas. It is waterproof, extremely durable, and handles heat and moisture without warping. Vinyl and laminate flooring should stay out of bathrooms because standing water damages them over time.

How many square meters is one pyeong?

One pyeong (평) equals 3.3058 square meters, roughly 35.6 square feet. Korean flooring is quoted per pyeong, so multiply your room area in square meters by 0.3025 to get pyeong. Always ask a contractor whether a price is material only or includes labor.

Related Reading

• Korean self interior cost: room-by-room budget
• DIY Korean wallpaper (self dobae) guide
• Understanding Ohouse, Korea's biggest interior platform

-- The Self Interior Team