Number 2 is more rustic in appearance and allows for many more variations in color and grain. There is prefinished wood and unfinished wood. Bruce and Janice Behling of Hartland chose a polished cream-colored marble for their master bath suite floor. The same elegant material was used throughout the bath on the walls, recesses and the whirlpool surround. Then there are the finishes on top of the wood.
Urethane is very durable and very popular, but it can scratch.
Some of the more popular places to incorporate a wood floor, therefore, are those with less exposure to water and less traffic such as family rooms, bedrooms, living rooms, dining rooms and rec rooms. Wood floors can't always stand up to the abuse that stone products can, but there are rooms in the house where wood is ideal. In a rec room, for example, there might be a pool table, a card table, maybe a bar. That's not really what we in the industry would call 'hard use,' so wood would perform well there and would look great. In areas where there could be a combination of traffic, water and sun, you'll want to go with a ceramic tile, a slate or a stone product either instead of wood or possibly in conjunction with areas of wood.