“Please remove your spiked heels and leave them on the mat by the front door”!  The new Christmas greeting as we wander in and out of friend’s homes attending holiday parties.  Finally home owners are finally beginning to realize the damage caused to hardwood floors from spiked heels.

One of the worst type of shoe on hard wood floors is spike-heel stilettos. In fact stilettos heels not only damage the surfaces of hardwood floors they also damage rubber based flooring products. The perfect fashion accessory dents hardwoood floors becauses the heel shape funnels so many pounds of pressure per square inch.  Think about this- a full grown elephant walking on your floors exerts 50-100 psi (pounds per square inch).

Spiked heels contain a steel spike that’s equivalent of a 10-penny-nail to stregthenthe heel. allowing a 125 lb woman walking across your floor exert 1,500 to 2,000 psi when taking a normal step.  The pin-point  pressure of stilettos leaves behind a trail of pock marks that’s nearly impossible to correct inexpensively and normally leaves homeowners quietly cursing their guests.

So if you’re visiting a home with hardwood floors -be prepared to leave your spikes by the door.