I'm getting ready to build a new house and my wife insists on lots of hardwood on our main floor. She even wants to put it in the kitchen, which makes me a little nervous, considering the all the dropped food, milk, orange juice etc. I have kids and a fairly healthy sized yellow lab which contribute to the mess.

I was thinking of installing pre-finished hard maple (DIY). Someone once told me that I could apply a coat or two of sealer on top of the pre-finished floor which will help protect all the spill from getting in between the floor (another DIY). Can I really do this? If yes, what kind of sealer do you recommend. What kind of prep work is necessary, besides clean and dry surface?

Bad idea.

1.You will instantly void the warranty on your material.

2.Odds are way against you applying a finish half as good as what is already on the product.

3.It won't serve to "seal" the floor,anyway.

This is an idea perpetrated by interior designers and home decor magazines. I like the one where they ask for a "gym finish"! Like that's supposed to be better than something else. Chuck's right! You'll void your warranty, have an inferior finish, and you'll spend good money on something that doesn't do anything. When purchasing a factory finished floor, READ THE MAINTENENCE INFORMATION. I have to shove it in my client's hands and tell them, READ IT AND FOLLOW IT. Top-coating a new factory finished floor should be an urban legend.

Thanks for the advice. Perhaps I should just avoid hardwood in the kitchen all together. That probably voids the warranty anyway.

I doubt it. Unless you are hosing the room down,there really shouldn't be a problem.

Hardwood floors in kitchens are done all the time. I know cause I've done hundreds of them. All kinds, all styles, all woods, prefinished and site-finished. Special care needs to be taken only because the kitchen is about the most heavily used floor in a home. The problems I see are water lines leaking from dishwashers, ice makers and occasionally faucets. Also, improper maintenence. It's not a boat deck so don't "swab the decks" by using a bucket of water and a rag mop. Also, people delay having their floors recoated if and when the finish is wearing thin. The newer factory finished floors should hold up much longer before a recoat is needed due to the additives in the finishes. Proper care and maintenence are what keep a wood floor looking good. About warranties, they really aren't worth the paper their written on. The way they are worded is if the flooring is flawed, don't install it. If you install it, your'e responsible. In 24 years I have never had a manufacterer replace a floor because of flaws in the floor. They always want to try to "fix" the existing floor by renailng, gluing, recoating, patching, etc. Most floors are fine and don't even need a warrantee. Some brands aren't as good as they used to be and we shouldn't sell 'em or install 'em. Bottom line; you get what you pay for and there's no free lunch. Buy a quality brand factory finished floor and install it according to the manufacterers instructions and maintain it right and you won't have problems (until your ice maker leaks; but that's another issue)

And let us not forget that a dishwasher leak or ice-maker leak will ruin any other type of kitchen floor just the same. Damage is damage. Wear is wear.

Buy what you like. It is all aesthetic.

Except ceramic tile thinsetted to a concrete slab. That floor would be highly resistant to water damage. But those grout lines, yuck!

How do I know which manufacturers are good and which are bad for pre-finished hardwood floors? Everybody who makes pre-finished hardwood floor claims they have the best. It would be nice if there was some sort of unbiased rating system for pre-finsished floors. If anyone knows of such a thing, please let me know.

Doesn't exist! It's like asking which is the best car, or tennis shoe! It is a matter of preference. Too many brands and styles and species to choose from. Used to be red oak, white oak, maple. Pick one. Now, you have a bazillion choices. Find something you like the LOOK of, then compare price and features.