Hate cleaning but want things to be clean in my new extension (hardwood floors, paint)

[woolly01]

We've just got planning permission to build a single storey extension to the rear of our terraced house and also a loft dormer extension in the roof. We're moving the galley kitchen to the old living room and the extension will be the living room with concertina glass doors out onto the garden.

From the hallway, you enter straight into the kitchen. Currently, we have solid oak floors that were varnished. But in the 7 years we've lived here they are now marked, scratched and because they are wood, I was expressly told not to wash them too often. The hallway is scuffed along the walls and the skirtings, the walls are marked along the walls in the living room (kitchen to be).

What I'd like advice on is flooring that can be washed. I don't want carpets in the downstairs of the house. Possibly for bedrooms etc. As we have no direct access to rear without going through the house, bikes et all ALL have to come through the house. I need walls that are easy to clean with a wipe and ditto floors. When washed I want them to look clean. Also any help given for kitchen surfaces gratefully received. But functional easy to clean flooring and walls would be brilliant!!

[suzy_q2010]

The best way to reduce cleaning is to not get it dirty in the first place.

Why are the walls scuffed? If it is due to furniture rubbing against it in the living room, consider arranging it so it does not contact the walls.

Some paints are more scrubbable than others. I have Sherwin Williams paint in an eggshell finish on my walls, and a magic eraser takes care of minor marks.

Teach children to keep their hands off the walls. You can walk down the hall without supporting yourself by holding onto the wall. Are the bikes the reason the walls in the hallway are marred? If so, all you can do is be more careful.

For the floors, the best thing is removing shoes as soon as you come inside. Do you have an entryway that will allow you to designate a place to put shoes?

Frequent vacuuming of the hardwood floors to remove grit also will help preserve the finish. You don't want to saturate wood floors with water, but if you finish them with polyurethane you can certainly damp mop them as often as you need to. If you have pets, that is a problem. Their claws can dig into wood floors. You may have to accept the damage they do as part of having pets. Can you carry the bikes rather than rolling them through the house?

[Kayekaye]

Sounds like you would be better off with tile and rugs than hardwood floors.

Here's an article about cleaning hardwood floors. But first you have to know which kind of flooring you have, if it is solid hardwood or a veneer.

Suzy is right, the trick to cleaning is how you live day to day and how you teach your children to live. Head it off at the pass.

Sweeping daily keeps the dirt from scratching the floors.

Scuffing from shoes and toys is remedied by keeping shoes off and toys being picked up before they move on to the next distraction or toy.

Keeping hands off the walls is hard for kids, but easier for them if they have to be the ones washing it clean. Then they understand the value of keeping it clean and can clean at even the youngest ages to learn the lesson. True you might have to clean up after them, with them, but they will reinforce the message of you did it, you clean it.