You should have a professional installer in your area take a look at your home so you can discuss what end result you are wanting. You may need to use an engineered wood. This is still an all wood product and is much more dimensionally stable than solid wood. This is a huge advantage if you are in an older home or in the midwest where humidity levels can drastically change from season to season. A solid wood will cup or curl if humidity and moisture levels are not managed. Your installer should do a moisture test before installation to make sure the installation does not fail. All warranties will be voided if this step is not taken. Also, your transitions will need to be considered. Is the new wood floor going to butt up to tile, carpet, or vinyl? The height difference in the two products will need to be taken into consideration. You will have a greater selection of thicknesses in the engineered woods. Engineered wood should be several plys, all wood. If you choose a solid wood, the hand scraped versions are fantastic for a high traffic area with children. Hickory, Red Oak, most Brazilian Species, and even Bamboo are hard enough to take everyday traffic and still look terrific. Good luck!

The same flooring helps the flow of a house and tends to help it look tidy. Does the flooring in your hall match your skirtings or are they painted in the hallway? I think, stick with what you've already used and changed the look of the room with soft furnishings such as a cosy rug or smart curtains.

We have had a wood floor in our kitchen for 13 yrs now, and we love it. Ours was finished on site, (more durable than engineered) with 3 coats of water based poly on it. It is just now that I am getting ready to recoat it. I have had both engineered and site finished hardwood,. The engineered didn't hold up as well, and we stripped off the finish and applied a new finish. It's more durable now. Finishing on site is more disruptive to your family and home, but it is worth it, because of the durability that comes with it. You won't be sorry at all about the hardwood. It is warm in the winter, and cool in the summer. In the kitchen especially, you have to clean up water, ice cubes, etc asap, and you have to be sure that you have a good dishwasher that doesn't leak (you don't have to put it under the entire dishwasher, just a few boards under the front and in the back). If there's a little water that you don't find immediately, and do later...ice maker leak,etc, in all likelihood, the grain will be raised, but in most cases, it will go down, and be okay. We love our hardwood floors, and hope that you will too. We have it all the way through our first floor, even in our powder room. It's terrific. I would never have tile in my common areas, it's cold and hard on your joints. We only have tile in our upstairs bathrooms. It's great there.

Wood Essence Amber is a great product, comes in just few sizes but also in a non slip tile. The tiles in general could be lay on floor boards, not directly. I would lay first a 9-10 mm plywood otherwise the existing boards might move too much creating cracks in the grout, also use flexible tile adhesive specific for wood, I think MAPEI has the best tile adhesive, but that is because I am Italian, sorry. I know KERAKOLL is getting more and more popular as DUNLOP. Best advise ever, do not go for plywood less than 9mm, please! ( I have been convinced by a client, I will never do it again its not worth it ) You might find some fibre cement boards to use specific for this porpoises, there are quite few types around you just need to ask your closest building merchant.