White hallway floor - tell me this is a stupid idea.

[narmada]

We are about to undertake a full refurb of a semi and are looking at flooring (oh, the excitement).

So, just how stupid would it be to have white laminate plank flooring in the hallway? It's the look I want but I have this sense that with two small children and in a high traffic area it's not going to be the most practical choice....

Don't really want to use rugs in hallway as it'd look too busy.

There's a separate porch where the shoes will live [I'm ever hopeful] and I have seen a nifty device that claims to mop floors robotically - you just set it going and it cleans away.

Has anyone got a similar flooring in their hallway and if so, do you regret it?

Not in the hallway, but in a bedroom and dear god, it shows the dirt and dust! It shows everything. Now, it could be that it's worse because there's lots of furniture in a bedroom so lots of nooks and crannies to trap dust and dirt but it looks dirty 5 minutes after I've cleaned it. If we hadn't had the skirting boards put over the top I would replace it like a shot.

Sorry if that's not what you wanted to hear.....

Don't do it. I had white floors in the last but one rental, and they looked mucky the moment I put the mop away.

When in the UK, we had stripped and varnished floorboards in the hall, and all it took was a weekly mop.

In my book, if you can't see it, it ain't there.

Lavatories and kitchen work surfaces are an exception to this rule.

Hmmm, our children have white laminate in their rooms and its fine....but not heavy traffic.

We have white painted stairs and theyre not bad at all, but NO SHOES allowed. Do you have prams/scooters etc likely to come in...?

Noo! I've just moved into a place with white 'stone' tiles in porch and kitchen. Looked nice for about an hour and has been dreadful ever since.

With pets and kid, just ugh. Life is too short for all the cleaning it would require.

Why not find a nice beech effect laminate for a similar look?

We have white tiles in the kitchen and bathroom too, omg I am forever cleaning the floors in those rooms. I have two children (10 and 1) and the kitchen is the main door we come through - lots of traffic. Even if the kids take their shoes off there are still black marks everywhere!

of your floor-cleaning robot.

And nooooooooooooo to white hallway. It will not look like an interiors magazine photo shoot after the first half hour and will drive the whole family mad. You, because your lovely floor looks like hell unless you clean it all the time, and the rest of your family because you are scaring them with your cries of "SHOES OFF THIS INSTANT" if they even think about going near the hall.

Back away from the white flooring...

Don't do it - we have white ceramic tiles in kitchen and cloakroom - looked lovely when we were shown round the house (child free couple ) - always looks mucky now !!

Hmm I know someone with white painted floorboards throughout her house.

They have no children, a regular cleaner, and everyone has to take their shoes off at the entrance.

Her hallway floor still looks grubby...

I wouldn't.

(however, I'm in the middle of deciding whether to paint the walls of my hallway and stairs white ... see my post here - which may be almost as impractical!)

We have white laminate in our kitchen and conservatory. It looks lovely for like literally one second. and then dirt, dust appear instantly. I have given up and am going to get some vinyl instead.

We have a white rug in our front room, it's reversible and we don't wear shoes in the house but I still have to wash it ever week. No way would I have white in the hall!!

The only way it would work I think, is if you put monkey bars on the ceiling so that everybody swings their way down the hall above the floor so their feet never touch the ground

Ha ha ha Thanks everyone, that's unanimous then. Good advice. It will be our second choice then.

Although I do like the monkey bars idea.

Your second choice looks lovely....but a word of warning, we had very dark sanded and stained floorboards in our last house ...and my god could you see the dust!!! Nightmare ....dust and hairs etc were pale so showed up a treat on the dark background.

I think you need to get something inbetween both your choices....light oak or something???

Thanks mrsbleasdale. Oh, I am a bit of a slattern so I won't be bothered by dust in the least