I have a feeling your husband likes the COLOUR and the PRESENTATION of the bamboo rather than the material itself. That means I would purchase a sample of the bamboo that he likes and then go shopping for a wood floor in the same colour/presentation.

Happily the trend for gloss levels is matte or satin. That will automatically get you several factory finished options without having to special order anything. Remember: factory finished colours are perfect. You don't have to worry about the staining process because all of that is done for you.

When it comes to 'healthy' flooring, it is easy to stick with something that is CARB II compliant. And stay away from bamboo. Yep. I said it. Bamboo (regardless of how it is made or by whom) is made up of (roughly) 30% glue. And it is the GLUE in a product that is unhealthy...not the wood/grass itself. The more glue you have in a product the more chances you have for unhealthy. An engineered hardwood will naturally have less glue than a bamboo floor.

Not to mention that bamboo is picky. And when it isn't being picky...it is finicky. And when it isn't being finicky it is being SUPER fussy! Bamboo CRAVES climate control. As in PIN-POINT accurate humidity and temperature.

The lower the cost of the bamboo (I would look at anything that is $9/sf and over) the more upset it becomes with poor climate control. That means you MUST HAVE whole home humidity control (whatever that means for your location).

And engineered hardwood still requires climate control but it has a slightly wider range of 'happy'. Bamboo needs TIGHT control between 35% and 50% humidity whereas many engineered woods have a range of 35% - 65%. That doesn't sound like much but it is HUGE in the flooring world.

Before you choose ANYTHING please check your budget (engineered worth $6/sf and over; or bamboo $9/sf or more). And then check your climate control. Make your choices based on that information.

We have glued down engineered wood floor (also on a slab) and love it. I would encourage you to focus on hardness ratings and the thickness of the top layer to ensure that your floors will hold up will over time, and stay away from any flooring that is too red, yellow, or orange (try to get a color that is as neutral as possible). As to what exactly would look best in your home, it depends entirely on the style of your home and what is already in it.

Is your slab too damp for hardwood? I have glued down white oak hardwood flooring on slab. It was site-finished in Jacobean, a non red stain.

Natural white oak in matte finish is timeless.

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Thanks so much for comments!! We are carrying boxes of hardwood recently to find the best one and no luck yet... and my husband likes gun stock red oak now... He says its timeless ... I believe its 1/2 inch thickness.. We have natural white oak already and everybody is tried of a light color in the house and keep telling get a dark one like very dark ,but I wont .. I cant keep up the cleaning ... medium colored brown is best for us with kids but cant find a right shade in our budget ... I like more of cool colors but too expensive ...

SJ McCarthy thanks for the very detailed info ... yes we are not looking bamboo anymore pronto! i need something timeless since i cant redo it..

Wait, you say you have white oak in the house already? Are you planning to rip it out and replace? Can’t you just refinish it a different color?

White Oak is probably the most popular species right now. It takes a custom stain beautifully. Have you asked your contractor about refinishing it???