There may not be oak there, because it was probably originally built to be tiled, so they would have used a less expensive subfloor. We had a house which had wood floors everywhere except the kitchen and bath.

I wouldn't want a wood floor in a room with as much water per square foot as a bathroom has. A kitchen, maybe (actually had one with oak floors and it wasn't too bad) but not a bathroom.

Places to check the cross section of the floor system include a hole cut for a heating duct outlet, (just lift the grate if there is one), and the threshhold, (carefully pry up any transition strip). My house is 40's vintage and like Chibimimi, oak throughout but for the bath and kitchen.

I put oak in my bath remodel and love it. But it is a master bath and I am the sole user. I am very careful to keep water from getting in the edges where it meets tile, toilet, etc. But water on the surface is not a problem...the Swedish finish is impervious and it just evaporates off. If you think your guys will be reasonably aware, then I'd go for it. I love how it looks and feels underfoot. Easy to clean, too!

Just laid reclaimed white oak strip which matches the rest of my 1940's home. I'm a little nervous, so I want to know more about this "swedish finish", olychick, please.

Dawn, this is the second house where I've had Swedish Finish (the first one was in the 1970's and was called Duraseal). This house has Synteko. I guess it's a solvent/poly based finish and they now have a water based finish that is apparently becoming more popular. It is impervious to everything. I even had a geriatric, incontinent cat who had accidents on it and I couldn't get to them until later in the day. I figure if cat pee can't hurt it, water is okay! Nothing sticks to it, so it is very easy to maintain. Mop once in a while with their cleaner...really, every few months! Whether it needs it or not :) If you search here in Baths for Treetop you can see my pics.

Here is a link that might be useful: my swedish finish

I can't say for certain what kind of a finish my sister has on her wood floor, but her floors near her toilet are a disaster!

Perhaps a better finish would have helped, but after potty training two boys, her young (7 years!) bathroom is showing a lot of age! This bathroom doesn't have a bath, it's just a powder room.. but I'd hate to see how it would take that abuse!

The rest of her hard wood floor throughout her house, including her kitchen, looks lovely.. Just the bathroom--around the toilet in particular--are taking a toll.

But, like I said, perhaps she has the wrong finish on her floor? The previous poster seemed quite confident and pleased with their results, so?!?!? Good luck!

Hmm,ok so maybe wood floors are not the best decision for the bathroom. Since I really like e look of wood floors, how about the new tiles that look like wood? Wonder if they would give me the same basic look without the problems of actual real wood? Has anyone seen wood tiles in action?

If you want the look of wood but not the risks, you could always do the wood looking tiles. They sound hokey but are actually quite pretty installed. Some people actually have a hard time realizing they are not real wood.