Hardwood options in large master bath

[sleepy hollow]

Thanks for all the responses and suggestions.  

I should have said white oak, not white pine.  Senior moment.  Apologies.

As for tile, I also should have included a bit of a discussion about that.  First, without significant work to strengthen the joist system, tile in the main portion of the room would be risky.  I have 24"OC engineered joists.  These are not well suited to tile and the tile would be prone to cracking.  There are steps that can be taken to address this and I did them in my guest bath quite successfully, but I am not doing that in this bathroom.  The main reason is that we dont want tile here.  It is a very large area and tile is too hard and cold for this large of a space in our opinion.  By cold I mean lacking the comfort and warmth of wood or carpet or even vinyl.  Not doing carpet or vinyl either, but hopefully you get the idea.  

So, since tile is something we really do not want for the area, then doing the enormously time consuming work of fortifying the sub-flooring is completely unappealing if the outcome is undesirable to begin with.  

I am encouraged that branchacctg has had good experieince with lifeproof flooring.  In fact all of the waterproof hardwood maunfacturers warrent the floors for 15/20 or more years.  So, FWIW, that goes in their column as a symbol at least of their confidence it will tolerate water.  

Also, as with gary g, I have neighbors with kitchens done in H/W with no problems.  Powder rooms are often done this way as well, and that is sort of the same as the vanity in the bedroom that gary g mentions to my mind.  

As for bamboo, not a fan as it does not look like the woods I like to look at.  But that is just my preference.  They sell a lot of it to be sure.

Thank you all for your input.  This is what we used to call an overly constrained problem it would appear.  These homeowners are overly fussy is another way to look at it.

[Brian in sunny FL]

Did you consider any of the waterproof luxury vinyl plank options?  Not real wood but some look nice.

[sleepy hollow]

Did you consider any of the waterproof luxury vinyl plank options?  Not real wood but some look nice.

Thanks for your reply, but yes we have looked at the LVP options.  Two problems - 1. too thin to my mind as it will just cover the ¾" subfloor and add nothing structurally.  We have 24"OC Ibeams and using ½" or ¾" engineered h/w will make a difference that thin stuff will not.  2. My "supervisor is dead set against it and she's right.  Given the homes in our area and the expectations of buyers we are taking a risk with anything other than authentic high end stuff.  We won't be here forever (Lord willing) and need to make the place pop when we sell.  So we are springing for a large fancy shower and high end flooring if we can figure it out.

[sleepy hollow]

UPDATE on the flooring saga:

We have found a very high end flooring that seems to fit the bill - Mercier.

This ia a Canadian product.  Samples looks just great.  My better half wants a light grayish look and Mercier has both a maple (mist) and a white oak (orion) candidate that look good.  It also is advertised as water resistant or water repellant depending on the finish.  That will work for us.  Will be expensive I fear but we'll get that back on resale for sure since I am doing the job and saving a ton of money doing it myself.  In our area it would be somewhere around 100K or more for this job.  Doing it myself will be maybe 25K even spending 5K on the flooring if that is what it comes to.  

Plus she'll like it and that is priceless of course
.

Also the install can be floating, glued or nailed/stapled.  I will likely go for floating due to the ability to include a foam underlayment and keep the noise down for the floor below.  

Open to thoughts on that aspect, though.

[mad_planter]

Its been my experience that poly isn't particularly waterproof.  Water-resistant certainly, but water can and does get through to the wood.

Lots of people have put wood products on their bathroom floor and gotten away with it.  But the obvious shower/sink water splashing aside, and supply leak, toilet flange leak, drain leak, that might cause water to come into contact with the floor, possibly under the flooring for some time before you notice it, is going to cause an expensive problem.  You MIGHT never have problems, but if you're unlucky enough to have some sort of failure, are you willing to put the time and expense into fixing wet wood flooring?  That's the question you need to ask yourself.

[crokett™]

Not to be mean but I am reading this wondering why you are asking as it seems you are more or less settled on wood no matter what advice you get here. I wouldn't put wood flooring in a bathroom. I don't like vinyl either. I'd do tile no matter how big it was or what needed to be reinforced. If I thought it was too cold I'd do a heated floor under the tile. Bath mats or a large water resistant rug will break up the expanse.

[EightFingers]

Wet hardwood floor is slippery

[JosephP]

We did Armstrong Alterna in 2 baths. I went to the flooring store to pick out tile. We looked at several options. The sales rep said "have you considered luxury vinyl tile?". "No...we want tile". "Do you like what you are standing on now?". "Sure, it's a nice time". "It's luxury vinyl".

Having said that there are a lot of other products also called luxury vinyl tile, but this looks and feels like real time except it's not cold as stone. It is grouted (but doesn't need to be). Would not crack like tile with just a little flex. IIRC I just used luan to make a perfectly smooth subfloor, cement board not needed.

[Tapper]

Not to be mean but I am reading this wondering why you are asking as it seems you are more or less settled on wood no matter what advice you get here.  I wouldn't put wood flooring in a bathroom.  I don't like vinyl either. I'd do tile no matter how big it was or what needed to be reinforced.  If I thought it was too cold I'd do a heated floor under the tile.  Bath mats or a large water resistant rug will break up the expanse.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I was wondering how long it would take for this post to appear. No claim to being an expert here, but after a career in the corporate world, I was a homebuilder for many years. Also built and remodeled several homes of my own. NEVER installed hardwood flooring in a bathroom, for obvious reasons (and I'm a huge hardwood floor lover) Many kitchens with hardwood flooring with few if any problems related to sink water (my home has 3 1/4" T&G rift and quartersawn white oak in every room, except the bathrooms - which are all ceramic tile.) 

As for the 24" OC I-joists, a good floor leveler product troweled on, and then 1/2" thick cement board (Duroc) glued and screwed down as an underlayment would solve that problem. The area in your drawing is generous but not extremely large by today's standards. I'm certain tile products have improved since the last I bought and installed years ago, so there's plenty to choose from. As Crockett suggested, installing a heating system would solve the cold floor problem.

As to getting your money back by installing it yourself when you sell the house later, let's hope the buyers are good with a wooden floor in their bathroom.

Doug

[sleepy hollow]

No offense taken.  Fair question.  

Yes, I am actually looking for definitive reasons not to do H/W as well as canvassing for any other ideas that may be out there.  I freely admit I have a bias towards doing H/W, but I am honestly open to understanding the experiences of others here.  I great respect this community and have learned a lot from you all.  

The work involved for doing tile is not worth it to me.  I do not want to do it because I will not like the result.  My assessment of this space is that tile will not be the best solution even if it is the standard, accepted solution.  I don't want a heated subfloor, nor the hardness of tile on the feet/back for a space that should be cozy and inviting for lounging as well as showering, tooth brushing, and "make-up-ing".  

But, I am cautious and looking for any advice or experience that would help me find the fatal flaw in the idea.  I realize that repairs may be needed if water gets into the wood.  Got it.  If I am living here when that occurs, I can handle it.  It's not the easiest thing to fix, but it is not catastrophic.  Except the toilet flange where I now plan to put tile.  I agree with the sentimenst expressed here and realize that is one area where seepage could be a hidden problem maker.  The potty closet is 5x5, so easy peasy to fix that issue.  It's basically a separate room.

Also, the mercier wood floors we are considering are water repellant so that's a plus, though nothing is foolproof.  I get that.

The discussion about poly not being waterproof is absolutely true, but it's still pretty good and certainly will serve the purpose for spills that get addressed right away. Puddles of water should be addressed immediately anyway no matter where they are (otside a tub or shower). 

In summary, yes, I admit to being drawn to the h/w solution after extensive analysis and research, and a bit of experience.  But that does not mean I should not seek counsel all the same.  It's like having a scientific hypothesis and then looking to falsify it.  I see risks, but nothing fatal.  SO FAR.

Thank you for your candor, that is absolutely what I seek.  I may not agree with you after all is said and done, but I assure you I am paying attention, listening, and considering all perspectives.