to not want people to wear shoes over my lovely oak floor

[Carameli]

we have since we moved been doing some major renovations to our house. It is now at an end and as we put really nice oak flooring in the living room and dining room we decided to have a no shoes rule in the house. Lots of my friends do this and it works fine.
I also lived in Finland for a few years where it is the norm and expected that you take off your shoes when you go into someone's house.
My stumbling block is my mum and dad who refuse to and have said they will sit in the kitchen rather than take off their shoes.
I love my parents dearly and but feel so upset over this. Have just had an email from my mum saying she does not know when my father will want to visit us again. What am I meant to say. My worry is he comes in with a stone on his shoe and we end up with a big scratch on the wood or I am not ale to invite them over for dinner etc etc(thinking ahead to Christmas etc etc birthdays)

arrrgggg. feel so frustrated.

god it's a bloody floor. don't be so precious about it!
do you not have young children? bring bags of groceries into the house? school bags being chucked about? toys that get dropped or thrown about?

in that they will all leave scratches and dents and contribute to a less than perfect oak floor.

did you have the rule before you had the new floor put in? If not, then it's more about keeping the floor lovely and new rather than the hygienic factor.

but either way, I'm not so fussed with our (most certainly) lived in wooden floors

hey Yank. Good idea

A quick spray of sanitizer, a manicure and an enema and we are prepared to let them wander around freely .

I think Hully goes with cling film as she is a visual creature

Pag and Hully - you pair of loons! Your additions have made me smile a lot.

However I will say this again and much louder since it seems to have been missed (except by diddl) - GET OVERSHOES!

Then no one has to take their shoes off exposing their rankly odoriferous/scrofulous/gangrenous feet to observation; no one has to have cold unsupported feet; and your floor is not only saved from damage but polished as well.

WIN WIN SITUATION.

I always go barefoot at home .but I would never expect anyone to remove their shoes in my house, and the thought of them all wearing slippers just makes me laugh ..plus theres no way I want to look at my mums bunions thanks

Not read the whole thread but,

We made this rule after doing the same thing re flooring and When my MIL and FIL arrived one day and I asked them if they wouldnt mind removing their shoes MIL actually said "you must be joking" and proceded in with them on!
I bought some really nice slippers for all sizes and next time they came over I thrust them into MIL and FILs hands and now problem solved.

In fact they even bring their own slippers round now! My dad on the other hand is still a nightmare, he just forgets so I have to remind him which is a PITA but hey ho.

So - here is the story. I am dragged along to a friend's friend's 'selling opportunity' party - just to make up the numbers. I am invited to remove by shoes at the door. I am not offered a seat so sit on the stairs to struggle out of my brand new wedgie boots with the stiff zips. I make my way gingerly over the slippy floor, hoisting my wide leg trousers up and jump up into a chair where I sit with my feet dangling (I am only little). At least no one can see my feet which are hidden in the long trousers. I do not venture to see the various samples but eventually HAVE to head for the loo(I always have to 'go' when my feet get cold). Manage to negotiate the stair in the long trousers but step on something hard on the upstairs landing, not lego but a screw which has not been screwed right down. Enter bathroom and step into a small puddle of ??? in front of toilet. There is of course no wee mat. I notice that the puddle has turned pink and realise my foot is bleeding. Although someone is hovering outside the door, they have to wait until I have wiped up floor in case they think I am responsible IYSWIM.

I left as soon as was decently possible and went home half shod since I could not get the damned zips back up. OP - YABU.

DONT HAVE A FLOOR PEOPLE CANT WALK ON YOU MORON

I can never understand why a floor comes before people! What is the point in having a pristine floor and no one who wants to visit?
My feet get cold when I take my shoes off on someone's cold floor and I really can't stand the thought of wearing someone else's slippers. Overshoes, like swimmingpool ones seem the ideal solution and then people can keep their feet warm.
(I always take my shoes off, if muddy but when I have got out of the car in perfectly clean shoes I can't see the point)

Im divided on this one. We always take our shoes off at the front door but would never ask visitors to do so. If they did of their own accord then all well and good but wouldnt dream of asking them. All downstairs floors laminate anyway so it dosent matter.

We take ours off too venus-but I wouldn't dream of asking visitors, sometimes they volunteer. I know someone who doesn't let her grandchildren in the lounge-they are not allowed past the kitchen in case they make a mess!! It is too Hyacinth Bucket for me-it is only a floor!!

I have to say, after my comment above that people always take their shoes off in my house as it's the first thing we all do when we walk in, but that's because I like to not wear shoes.
I always get really embarrased when they quickly remove theirs too, I couldn't give a stuff.

Hmm - not sure about the over-shoes thing.

I would feel like I was visiting a crime scene or a swimming pool (not keen on either).

Also I defy anyone not to feel like a total twat when wearing them. Why not offer a total decontamination suit instead?

Just out of interest, OP, are your children going to be allowed to play with toys on your floor? My wood floor is scratched in many places, but it's not down to shoes! I suspect the fact that ds drives his pedal car around our living room has something to do with it. And our hoover has also been the culprit a few times. Needless to say, I am past caring!

I also think if someone gave me those blue overshoes to put on at their house it would be the first and last time I would visit!

They don't have to be the blue disposable overshoes! The link I gave before (really can't be bothered to do it again) just shows over-sized slip on slippers that look perfecly normal, not like bloody crime scene things.

Or they simply don't want to. And it's rude to ask