What It's Like to Have White Floors

Let’s be honest — white floors are pure and simple design porn. They look absolutely gorgeous in photos, but very few people have them IRL. I’ve been on #teamwhitefloor for nearly 10 years now. I'll give you the scoop, along with advice from your favorite design bloggers and Instagrammers, on what it’s like, how to care for them and whether or not it’s crazy to consider white floors for your home.

Should You Do It?

This is a hard question to answer because it depends on your lifestyle. I say, a thousand times yes.

Our home is tiny (at only 740 square feet), so white floors make our space look bigger. I wanted glossy white floors, so I went with a German company called Elesgo that makes an environmentally-friendly laminate plank floor option. I'm digging the glossy white as the natural light in our home bounces off it, making our space look truly dreamy.

Truth Time. We don't have kids, but we have a slobbery Basset Hound whose ears always get dirty and wet, so it creates a bit of a challenge. White floors require daily maintenance, so you have to decide if it's worth it.

Joey (@ball_and_claw_vintage) agrees. “If I had it to do all over again, I would still DEF choose white floors. White floors rock, and they’ve totally transformed our space.” 

How Do You Keep White Floors Clean?

Keeping your white floors squeaky clean will be an ongoing challenge. The cleaning method differs depending on the type of floor. First, you need a good vacuum. I vacuum almost every day because of my dog. If you don’t have any pets, you can do a light sweep once a day. 

Jen (@fleamarketfab) swears by her steam mop: "My steam mop has been life-changing for me and our white floors. That’s definitely the one investment I would recommend anyone with white floors make ASAP," she says.

What Type of White Floors Should You Get?

This depends on your lifestyle. If you have wood floors that aren’t in great shape, paint them until you can replace them. 

Joey (@ball_and_claw_vintage) advises to paint your floor: “We learned the key to a painted floor is to do several coats of paint. Just when you think you’ve done enough, you should do one more. Be prepared to repaint every couple of years because they [the floors] will chip. We’ve embraced it though as character in our house,” he adds. Joey used Sherwin-Williams porch paint in extra white. 

Other options include laminate (which is what I have), white floor tile or white carpet (the trickiest to keep clean of the bunch).

White Floor Tips

Designer Natasha Habermann (@natasha_habermann) says: "We have white floors in my office, and honestly, the floor is dirty all the time. Our no-pavement driveway is right outside, so we are always tracking in mud. I think white floors are a great idea if you’re a shoes-off household."

Designer and stylist Gillian Lawlee (@my.life.in.colour) embraces the rustic white look with vintage rugs throughout her space. "In a strange way, they are almost easier to keep clean because it's always easy to see any spills or messes."

Style setter Judy Aldridge (@atlantishome) suggests using household cleaning pads to remove scuff marks. If you don’t want to go shoeless in your home, make sure nobody with black soles is walking around. After years of living with white floors, she says to just relax! They’re honestly pretty manageable — even with a pack of rescue dogs running around.