Hi. The occasional water spill is not a problem with hardwood floors. Remember that wood floors have been used for hundreds of years in all types of climates, most notably the harsh Northern and Midwestern winters; snow & sleet not withstanding. Take normal precautions you'd take with your carpets. Clean up spills as soon as possible. Do not allow standing water, etc. For your dog bowls, a nice rug under the bowls will prevent them from slipping and scratching the floor, as well as help absorb the occasional sloshing. As for snow, the salt, sand, and other abrasives tracked in are of more concern than the water. I would definitely have a really good rubber mat or something to protect the floor at the entrances, more to protect the finish that the wood it self. If the design allows, it might be good to leave a "foyer" of tile or marmoleum to allow for wet boots, etc. And if mom or the girls favor high heels, leave them there too. High heel shoes is one of a wood floors worst enemies. Those little devils and really mark up all but the hardest woods. If your other kid is a large dog, keep those nails trimmed. Otherwise, wood is pretty carefree. Have fun!

The warranties only cover finish wear through to bare wood. You will need a recoat well before then!!! Correct, wood and water don't mix.

Boy, can I identify with this!! Our dog isn't that large (about 45 lbs.) but you'd think she was a Mastiff or Great Dane the way she slobbers everywhere when she drinks :) She takes it one step further even than Hestia_flame's dog - she will take big gulps and then run into another room, water flying everywhere. If we ever had a problem finding her we could follow the water trail! She's also a very spoiled dog with water bowls in multiple rooms - as if she can't just walk into another room for it - haha! We have been stuck in the basement for the past 7 weeks while our hardwood floors have been finished TWICE and are just about to move everything back in this weekend. I honestly have no idea how we're going to protect the floors from the dog, so am happy to hear any suggestions! I was hoping we would have the covered porch/deck done by this time (but of course it's not - we're only delayed by about 7 months now!) and was going to begin feeding her out there. But she will still have water inside the house, so that doesn't really take care of the problem. I suppose I could have her go down to the basement every time she wants a drink - don't think that will go over very well since the spoiled thing is used to having it everywhere :) And yep, I could see her trying to eat rocks also!

I've lived in 8 kitchens in the past 13 years. We're currently remodeling now, so when it's done, that'll be 9. So this info is from what I've expereinced overall, not my current kitchen. Ceramic floor tile grout. The tile itself doesn't show dirt, but the grout is another story. In my current house, the previous owners installed the tile to sell the house. I was pretty certain the grout hadn't been sealed, but I didn't do it when we moved in. It also has a couple of gouges from dropped cans or pots in a few tiles even though it's not quite 3 years old. Ceramic glass/radiant heat electric cooktop. UGH. Everything boiled over, then proceeded to cook to a hard gunk on the top. To clean, you have to get a razor blade to scrape up the mess. NEVER AGAIN! I second the person who said, if you have to go electric, go induction. My single induction unit has the same type top, but since the surface itself doesn't heat, it stays relatively clean. Anything on it just wipes away easily. For those trying to acheive that streak free shine on ceramic/glass, you can forget windex or anything of that ilk. Use Weiman's cooktop cleaner and the red scrubbies they sell at Walmart. Apply the cream with the red scrubby, allow to dry to a film, and wipe off with either a microfiber or plain ol' paper towel. The cream turns an icky greige color, but once it's been wiped off, the cook top really shines, at least until the next mealtime. Another stainless fridge hater here. Ooh, that's a strong word, I know. Well, I've got 4 kids, um, I mean, 3 kids and DH and between the lot of them they can't seem to wipe their drips from the in door water dispenser. Or use the handles even though they're huge and conveniently mounted right on the front of the doors. If I had the money, I'd definitely go paneled. Downdraft. It just doesn't capture as much as an overdraft, if that's the right term. So, it causes more grease to settle on cabinet doors, backsplashes and walls. Cabinets that don't reach the ceiling. They're huge dust collectors. I don't really like the display idea, and really can't abide the fake ivy. It's just a personal thing, please don't flame me if you like that look. I'm a bit worried about what others have said about polished granite. I got a bunch of it when I bought my kitchen display cabinets. I'd just assumed we'd use it. It's a dark-ish, spotty stone called Baltic Brown. It's not my favorite color but, I've never had granite before, so it was kind of an upgrade from the tile, laminate and BB I've had in the past. I'm wondering if I should just sell it on CL and get butcher block. I've had it once before and loved it. I'm defintely not a great housekeeper. I want something that can take a quick swipe and look half way decent.