SO ON SUNDAY, I arrived at my East Hampton cottage with baited breath. The painters had finished sanding, priming, and putting two coats of white on the wood floors, and the paint had had a couple of days to dry. I opened the door with trepidation. Would I like it? YES! I love it!
The first thing I did, of course, was take off my shoes and put on a pair of white socks in case my bare feet weren’t clean enough. The second thing was hang a sign on the front door requesting that all visitors remove their shoes. The third thing was spread a bewildering array of rag rugs in key spots, which give the place a somewhat Scandinavian look. (I’m tempted to hang yet another sign asking visitors to please leap between the rag rugs and avoid touching the painted floor at all with their bare or stockinged feet, but I suppose that would be too much.) The fourth thing I did was go out and buy a Swiffer mop and both wet and dry refills, so I’m ready for anything.
It’s kind of like when you get a new car. You hold your breath until you get that first ding, and then you can relax. I’m sure that, with time, my floors will become just as distressed (lived-in, sandy, smudged, scuffed) as my car is, and that will be just fine. But right now they are pristine and I’m going to enjoy it for however long that lasts.
casaCARA: Old Houses for Fun & Profit 
Love the white floors. They’re perfect for a summer place. Your sign is too cute.
I know the feeling! My stomach churns when I hear our mini Dachshund sliding across the floor while chasing the cat. He leaves nail marks on the wooden floor that you can see if the light hits them just right.
Beautiful!! So clean looking & yes, Scandinavian!
White floors are great dust-bunny camouflage. At first I wept over every scratch. Not any more. We have one more room to go 3 down, one to go. What kind of paint did you use? http://tk-jk.net/redo/Articles/Thebedroomhallfloorgoeswh.html
Love your new painted floors and the glimpses of your home. Everything looks so fresh.
I can relate to the not wanting any marks, dings, etc. on your new painted floors. After I painted almost my whole house (walls), I vowed I’d never hammer a nail again. Didn’t want to mess up that new paint job. Well, guess what? Several years later now there are plenty of nail holes and every time, I place or change a new picture, I remember what I said! Now that I think about it, it’s probably time to paint again.
Terry, it’s called Painter’s Select Porch & Floor coating, satin finish. Color is “Sand Powder.” Hi Patti, ML, Guy, Jean — good to hear from you all:-)
Beautiful floors! I have a 1902 Victorian and I painted the old subfloors white in the bedroom and kitchen 3 years ago. I love them!