The home of hard knocks

[Gordon0]

White walls - for me at least - add a little 'boutique chic' to a fairly smallish (but not by London standards) room. So that's what I went with. But while they're beautiful when freshly-painted, white walls suffer badly from the odd knock. 

I'm not sure what people are dragging along this particular wall, but the black marks on it appear after every other guest. I'm guessing wheely cases or similar. 

Diamond scrubbable paint, yes, but what a faff to have to clean the walls time after time. 

Are white walls just daft, or is there another way to protect my pearly white (walls)?

[Sandra126]

If the marks appear in the same place every time, could you maybe add a steel/wood/whatever strip or something which will fit the room's style? Something wipeable, which protrudes slightly from the wall so the wall itself stays untouched.

[Lawrene0]

Oh yes, @Sandra126. Something like a chair rail, but at the height you need it, @Gordon0. That could look good, and it wouldn't eat up space. 

[Lawrene0]

Is a luggage rack possible in the space, @Gordon0? It might change their luggage-dragging behaviour. 

[Fred13]

They also can be further protected by clear 'varnish', making them less 'skuffable' (not sure that is a word).

[Gordon0]

If it isn't a word, @Fred13, it should be! 

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Gordon0

I was thinking the same as @Lawrene0 and @Fred13. 

A rack or some sort of bench for the luggage and/or some sort of clear coat of varnish on the walls. 

I remember one of my old work places that had walls where the lower half was a glossy white (wipe walls with clean wet cloth) and upper half a matte white. 

[Alexandra316]

@Gordon0 If one of these solutions don't work for you, I find that Mr. Clean Magic Erasers do a great job on these scuffs.

You could also try using a kitchen or bath paint, which are usually harder wearing and less prone to scuffing. However, you get more of a gloss with those paint.

[Rachel0]

You can get cheap foldable luggage racks on Amazon - I have two - they're about £20 each.  I don't know if you have a dado rail on the stairs, but if you do you could continue it into the bedroom and paint the section below the rail in a darker, but still wipable, colour.  Nice room though, I love the 27 bus route board!

[Gordon0]

Thanks @Rachel0 - the 27 drops me at the top of my road. One of my favourite routes (love the 94 too!). 

[Rachel0]

@Gordon69

It was only when your listing appeared on my "Listings similar to yours" page that I realised that you are not far from me here in Ealing!  Just wanted to say that your place looks great and I love the idea you had to put a page of FAQs in the photo section.  Genius idea.  Do people read it and stop asking those questions all the time before they book?  

[Gordon0]

Thanks all. There is already a luggage rack (the same as you'd find in a hotel) but the scrapes still happen. On the other wall too. I'm thinking maybe Sandra has the answer. Will have a mull and report back. 

[Fred13]

Perhaps a clear plexiglass piece, as usually used in the rear of stoves to guard against splatter, may also do the trick @Gordon0.

[Donna240]

I'm not certain that the color matters when any colored wall can be scuffed by a suitcase. I clean every scuff mark, but I can find them again, because the pressure from the sponge makes my matt paint a bit glossy. Plus hosts are not allowed to have scuff marks! If we didn't provide our homes to guests, we could keep them pristine.

[Gordon0]

It's a fair point @Donna240, but we can but try. I forked out for 'diamond' paint (scrubbable etc.) so I don't get that 'glossy' thing going on. Well, perhaps on my knees as I spend so much time on them (cleaning said walls!).