We put in a heated tile floor. Our masterbath is also over the garage. We keep it constant 68 but program it to go up in the am when we shower. It has made a huge improvement in the comfort in the bathroom.

If you are adding anything over the garage, I'd heat the floor. If you are asking as to looks? Hardwood is beautiful. As to longevity? Fine as well. But without heat in the floor, nothing will feel great in there in February.

I was curious about putting radiant floor heat under hardwood for my kitchen (thinking about converting the cast iron radiator to get some more cabinet space) so I asked an Amish hardwood flooring guy if it was possible, and he said it was indeed if you used quarter sawn oak. Quarter sawn oak has tight, even grain and is very thermally stable compared to plainsawn planks (which can have a huge variation of grain and grain tightness), so it's able to deal with heat fluctuations from under-floor heat.

As for hardwood flooring in bathrooms in general, I've seen it done successfully. Bathroom in question is pushing a hundred years old and its maple floor is fine. The one caveat is that you have to be extremely prompt about fixing any plumbing/leak issues, because lingering water infiltration WILL trash the floor.

Glue down cork tiles (6mm or 8mm thick) can and will give you the insulation you want with the "wood tones" you are after. Glue down cork tiles can be/should be sealed using 2 coats of a compatible finish (compatible with the factory finish).

The insulation factor for cork is significant. It can be used "in lieu of" in-floor radiant heat in situations like yours. So long as your bathroom has a source of heat (forced air or radiator...or even a "towel warmer") the cork will ensure the heat stays in the bathroom.

It is an option. The price up-front may be a bit more than you were looking for but the cost savings come from the ability to walk away from "in-floor radiant heat". A sealed glue down cork floor should cost $15/sf (includes materials, prep and labour). A tiled floor will cost $15/sf (includes materials, prep and labour). A site-finished hardwood floor should cost $15/sf (includes materials, prep and labour).

The in-floor radiant heat system can cost $10-$15/sf on top of your "finished floor" decision (may or may not include the cost of electrician...upgrading your electrical panel might be needed = ++ extra). And then the operational costs = monthly addition to your electricity bill = ???

Cork is an option. Just so you know.

We have hardwood floors throughout the downstairs in our house: master closet, bathroom, toilet room, bedroom, hall, formals, kitchen, laundry and powder room. It was like this in 1999 when we bought the house. After 15 years here, we remodeled the entire downstairs including master bath. We had to decide whether to change to tile or keep the hardwoods in the bathrooms. We decided to keep them because we were used to them, they feel soft and warm underfoot and we had never had a problem with leaks or damage. Since it's the master, we are the only ones using it, so we haven't found it difficult at all to avoid damage to the floor.

Off topic a bit, but IMO the place that I find it a real pain to have hardwoods is the kitchen and the powder room. These are busy, hard-working spaces where all the kids (we have 4) and all the guests (lots of people always coming here) are constantly putting them to hard use. I'm always wiping up partially melted ice, water that the dogs dribbled after drinking from their bowls, normal kitchen spills and drips, etc.

Back to topic: If I was starting from scratch, I might choose a different product. My Dad recently put LVN (he used CoreTec), which is a man-made wood-looking product that is waterproof. It looks and feels great. If I was building from scratch again I might use LVN. Every carpet/flooring company has their own version of LVN.

That being said, if you decide to put harwoods in your bathroom, I have a couple of suggestions:

1) Have a really good exhaust fan

2) Make your shower big. Our shower is about 4 x 6. That way you can install a built-in bench, or get a teak bench or corner seat. We have a teak corner seat. You can place your towel and robe on the seat and it won't get wet because your shower is big enough that it doesn't get hit by shower spray. Then you can mostly dry off inside the shower so that you don't drip on your hardwood floors.

3) Install a towel bar (make it a grab bar with proper blocking while you're at it), and a hook or two inside your shower. That way, you can hang your towel, hair-wrap towel, wet bathing suit, soap puff, etc. If they drip, it doesn't matter.

4) Have a nice cushy mat to step on. Even though you mostly dried off in the shower, have a nice rug or mat to step on when you get out.

5) Have your shower door able to swing inward and outward. The glass installer will just not put the stops in the hinges. This way you can leave the door pushed inward after your shower and while you are running the exhaust fan. Any drips/dribbles will go onto the shower floor.

6) If you have a separate toilet room, consider changing your floor in there. You could waterproof the whole floor and install tile, or install LVN. That way, if the toilet overflows it won't be as much of a disaster. This has never happened to us, but I mention it just in case.

Here's my bathroom with hardwood floors:

Good luck with your project!

I would recommend heated floors. Also please remember installing wood floors in a wet areas will require more maintain and will be more costly if there is a leak etc.

J Design Group - Miami Interior Designers
225 Malaga Ave
Coral Gables, FL 33134
Ph: 305-444-4611
https://www.JDesignGroup.com

lautoma , is your flooring warranty important to you? Read the one provided with the flooring. It will likely exclude the bathroom.

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We had hardwood floors in the master of our last home and it was fine. They were 25 years old and looked great. They also felt softer and warmer than tile underfoot. For what it’s worth, people put hardwood in their kitchen and powder rooms all the time, and those floors are constantly getting drips and spills......I know in our home, i was wiping up water from the kitchen floors WAY more than I ever did in our master bath.