Caring for painted hardwood floors

A number of years ago I decided to paint our living room floor.  

White.

I loved it so much that I painted our dining room floor too.

White.

Then I just couldn't stop.  

I painted every hardwood floor in our home.

White.

Now that the years have passed I thought I'd let you know how the floors are holding up and what kind of upkeep they require.

I'll be straight up with you...

They require a lot of work.

That being said, I think they are totally worth it.

When you think about it, there are a lot of things in life that require a lot of work to maintain.  But those things are often worth the effort we invest.

I clean my home every week.

No exceptions.

My floors are vacuumed and mopped every week.  Often they require a vacuuming more than once a week because white floors show EVERYTHING!

Every two to three months my floors start to look a little dingy. It doesn't matter that we try not to wear our shoes on them.  It just happens.  And when it does I get down on my hands and knees and using a bar of Fels Naptha, a kitchen scrubby sponge, a bucket of hot water and a clean cloth I go to town.

It's the only way to get the grime off the floor without compromising the finish.

When I'm done and my back aches I stand back and look at my floors that are just as beautiful as the day they were painted.

Painted hardwood floors aren't for everyone.

In addition to the upkeep they chip and can stain.

For a fleeting moment I asked a friend of ours that owns a floor refinishing business to give me an idea what it would cost to refinish all of our floors.

It wasn't out of line.

It was realistic.

It just wasn't for me.

I love my white floors despite their imperfections.

And despite the upkeep.

"Nothing worth having was ever achieved without effort."

Theodore Roosevelt