Floors are meant to be walked on, but there are ways you can walk on your new hardwood floors without destroying them. Many homes have a “shoes off” policy in the day to day, but when you’re throwing a party for a special occasion, asking your guests to take their shoes off can be a tricky situation. So we decided to ask around and see how people would react to being asked to take their shoes off at a party.
Can you ask your guests to take off their shoes at a party?
For the most part, people seem to think that a “no shoes” or “no stilettos” policy at a party are uncool. You can try, but chances are you’re still going to have one or two guests who won’t want to take off their shoes. One of the shorter people in the group told me that she would never take off her heels, even if asked, because she’s just over 5 feet tall and without heels she would just get lost in the crowd. Most other women seemed to agree that the shoes were a part of a carefully planned outfit, and you couldn’t just remove them. And, just so we don’t stereotype, many of the men seemed to care about their footwear as well and considered them a part of their “party outfit”.
If you want people to dress up for your party, you can’t expect them to remove a critical part of the ensemble, like the shoes.
Socks can be dangerous on shiny new (and old) hardwood floors
Plus, if you take off your shoes, do you also take off your socks? Or do you want to risk people slipping and falling on your hardwood floors? Not everyone appreciates being barefoot. The “no socks” addition seemed to hit mostly hard with the men because most of the women agreed they’d be barefoot regardless without the shoes.
Of course, everyone also seemed to agree that it’s “my house, my rules”, but if you’re concerned about the floors then get yourself some area rugs for the party.
What’s our take? Enjoy your floors! Walk on them. Dance on them. A no shoes policy will help preserve the finish, but gracious hospitality matters too! When alone at home, we go shoeless – but we let our guest do whatever makes them feel most comfortable.
Lastly, there also seemed to be a consensus that each little stiletto mark can be seen as a “memory mark.” Let your floors tell the story of your lives. That way, all you have to do is look down and remember all the great times you’ve had in your home. And if the “memories” ever get out of hand, relax, that’s why God invented sanding and refinishing!
A home should be lived in, and floors are meant to be walked on – especially hardwood floors.
