People do tend to ask, and my answer is they are welcome to but it is not required. Even though we ourselves remove our shoes, my position is that the occasional footsteps of a guest have only a fraction of the effect on the floors compared to those of our own family's shoes everyday, so guests wearing shoes are a non-issue.

Workmen in dirty boots is another matter. I just put down a strong drop-sheet wherever they need to be, as they wear heavy boots for safety.

our floors are usually quite dirty as my son mop the floors whenever lol ..he only does one part of the house a week so that part gets mopped again every 4 weeks with exception of bathroom and kitchen and WC getting mopped fortnightly..

I don't have an issue..most people offers to take their shoes off only to have me insist that they put them back on lol

Not guests, just us. Though when I was a music teacher the students(not parents) , removed their shoes as I had bought the place complete with cream carpet.

We do ask our guests to remove their shoes.As we live in the country its the norm to remove shoes. Obviously when we visit we do the same. We have a combination of wooden floors and plush beige carpets and as a result of our shoes off rule, the carpets are still in pristine condition.

Not unless they have work boots on or if their shoes are muddy.

We don't wear shoes and most people automatically take them off and some will ask. We do have some older relatives who walk in, don't ask, and always keep their shoes on. We started not wearing as I was initially trying to minimise allergens but you can really notice the difference when cleaning when minimal people wear them now, so we have kept it that way.

Tribbletrouble lol hubby went back to VN years ago and in a rush I went to a $2 shop to buy him a pair of thongs..he came back commenting he still has the pair as it's so crappy no one wanted to steal it lol

we always have trouble on his side of the family..I refuse to take my shoes off as then I'd lose them ..as everyone wears slides or thongs in Summer..the kids takes them off then a minute later someone's taken them to go outside..the parties are usually outside so no shoes in the house then have to pop them back on to go outside ..

then at end of night have to try to find your pair..we've had a few times where our shoes have gone missing lol so now I wear them the whole time..

my thinking is they are guests and shouldn't inconvenient the guests..if you like your house sparkling clean then don't have guests lol

or if you do then mop afterwards..

That's why I don't say anything to the oldies... I find the young ones love to whip them off and run around barefoot. Good thing is we have a very large courtyard with pool and it is entirely paved - so another extension of the house - so no mud and our garage is carpeted (marine) so if they play ttennis there is still carpet there (even though not as clean as house carpet.

Another note.... thongs/flip flops..... my husband's were stolen outside our room in Fiji - he has large feet so we assume it was one of the islanders cause they were brown (in keeping with their uniform colours).... we still laugh about them being taken.

Strange to steal another persons shoes etc but funny story...one Christmas we had my hubbies family over for evening & due to acreage lots of parking for their cars. One BIL had his precious guitar in his car & it was unlocked, randomly went out the front to car & unknowingly disturbed a burglar stealing it...burglar took flight & we found guitar in the bush along with a pair of thongs.

Hubby needed a new pair so he took ownership of them for the next couple of years...I found a new source of nagging him (to me they were gross & he could afford to buy his own but hated shopping/everyone has to go to the shops at some time right?) until one day they had worn out so much he slipped in a shopping centre right next to a surf shop...

I had the last nag "throw them in the bin, now please!" poor guy had to pay for a new pair of expensive surf shop ones...boys will always be boys!

I don't ask visitors to remove their shoes but most offer anyway. I walk around the house in bare feet nearly all the time and have garden shoes placed strategically on porches around the house so can easily run out to the chooks or vegie garden as needed and kick them back off before coming inside again. We also keep a couple of towels hanging on hooks at back doors for wiping moisture or grass clippings off our feet if necessary.

We ask visitors to remove their shoes. There is still a lot of building going on in the area and the sand in Perth is walked in if we don't. Additionally, we have poured polyurea floors, which will mark, like wood, with high heels. In New Zealand, almost every friend expected us to remove our shoes - wet weather is hell on carpets. Australians seem less fussed.

We recently saw a home where the family have a shallow dish with water at the entrance, allowing them to take off flip flops and rinse their feet, before entering the house over a large mat to dry them.

In the current market of using wood laminate, wood vinyl etc for flooring it is a good thing to not be wearing high heels on the floors.. When my new home was built every one just automatically removed their shoes to come inside.. my front entrance was a good place for shoes. I never had to ask.. even workmen took their shoes off without asking. It did save the carpets.. that was in NZ.

Now I'm back in Oz i'm not quite so fussy about the carpet on my floor.. I bought a little house and the carpet is very cheap so will have to replace at some stage anyway. There is wood planking but am not sure what type. it's ok.. if it was all new I'd want shoes off but not necessary right now.

That's a good point, Lisa. Under Aussie law, products have to fulfill their purpose. Therefore, shouldn't all flooring be high heel proof?

Another thing to take into consideration is people's cultural or religious background. When I moved in with my current housemates I was informed that because one is Asian we aren't to wear shoes inside, just house slippers etc. I'm totally cool with that, the bonus is that our floors are always really clean as a result!

@Tribbletrouble44152k7 Trek, no not necessarily.. it fulfills it's purpose if you buy the one that is correct for what you want it for.. a bit of a catch22 and up to the store to point out that the thin stuff may dent.. in fact any of it can... there are many things that will void warranty of laminate floors.. here is a good website dealing with the cleaning and care .. http://www.baneclene.com/articles/laminate-care-consumer.html

Remove shoes with spiked or damaged heels before walking on the floor.
Spike or stiletto high-heel shoes may cause denting and related damage
to wood floors due to the extremely high compressive force they
generate. Such footwear can produce dynamic loads in excess of 1,000
pounds per square inch, even when worn by someone of slight or average
build.

Worth reading the whole thing..

Just worth reminding people that laminate flooring is mdf with a picture of wood printed on the surface with a couple of protective layers of clear coating over the top..it cannot be wet or steamed.. it will swell. Make sure you ask questions..

Wood vinyl planking is very durable and hardy, and bamboo is considered to be one of the strongest timbers.. if you choose to have floors redone with any of the above products please look them up on google and find out the qualities.. I vote for wood vinyl.. looks brilliant, can float or be glued (recommend glue for wet areas such as bathrooms, laundries) is hard wearing and cost is comparable with mid range wood laminate flooring and hardier. Hope that all helps.

If you must have wood laminate then go for 10 - 12 mm.. anything less will flex. Must have underlay and be laid on a level floor.. There are self levelling compounds you can use to make this easier... hope all this helps.

How's Natalie?

lol my cousin lives a good way away from me.. i'll say hello for you when I see her.

Very informative Lisa, thanks for the detailed post for those of us considering this type of floor ;)))

I was a little off topic.. sorry to Gioenne. I could go on for ever... lol... it's all about research.

She's beautiful. I hope you got the genes too, Lisa.

Ive got hardwood floor, can wear any shoes, though we kick them off as we have mud and animals. Guests don't have to.

Lisa G, that is an excellent reason for leaving shoes off, I would hate to have to clean floors that much but also would feel like I had to with a little crawler. We too have cheap hotel slippers at our place for guests if they want, especially in colder months.

Lisa G - we commenced no shoes when my youngest was about 9-10 and had chronic urticaria (3rd bout lasting constantly for about 18mths) on numerous medication (including steroids some days & having light treatment for 3 months) EVERY day depending on how bad he was..... I had to eliminate as many things that could contribute to it continuing... yes he has an allergy to grass (not bad but cause of the state his body was in the contact was enough to trigger a reaction - yes he is a cricketer - LOL) so I started asking people no shoes cause I didn't want any grass coming inside.... we have fake grass but real on the nature strip. I did consider buying those slip on covers for guests to put over their shoes but people have been fine taking them off.

I think if people see you without your shoes on they either take theirs off or ask.

Also, remember when we first had kids - they told us it is extremely good for kids to go barefoot when walking cause of what they feel through their feet.... well, we all can receive the benefit too.