I always use glue-down tiles in bathrooms. I have done many, and they are beautiful. Always warm underfoot too. If you (or someone you know/love/live with/clean up after) are the type that tends to leave big puddles on the floor for a couple of days though, you'll probably want to put in ceramics instead (spring for a radiant heating system for your ceramics though- you'll be forever sad that you didn't!). Although floating planks can be easier for the DIYer to install, here are two counts against it in bathrooms: -it is unlikely that the core material (mdf/hdf) is more than simply water-resistant- so a top coat of polyurethane is a must, however.. -the need to leave a perimeter expansion gap for a floating floor precludes the use of caulking to seal the edge against spilled water getting under the floating floor. Absolutely choose a site-finished cork (or add topcoats to a prefinished tile) to seal all seams with varnish. Lastly, caulk the perimeter- especially at the tub. Hope this clears things up. Before you buy, though, check with the manufacturer/supplier that they will approve of your installation. Here is a link that might be useful: google search for cork floors in bathrooms

Thank you jerry_t for letting me know that tests need to be performed so I can ask the right questions to decide who I am hiring to perform the work. One installer who does not sell hardwood but only installs told my friend today, that if someone moves all the furniture and heavy file cabinets and makes the place ready for installing hardwood and if I had ordered the engineered wood already and acclimated it, he would install it for $2.50/sq ft as a floating floor. But then again, he has not done testing. I looked up some glues and some of the more expensive glues sound like they would have less moisture resistance problems. Another place about 1 hour from here would install the floor with glue for $2.40. Another place says $5.00 sq. ft including the best moisture resistance glue. Then there are all the other costs with the quarter-round and floor separating moldings for the three rooms that I am getting prices of $550 to $600. At this point I want someone who knows what they are doing. I do not want someone moving the furniture back in here and scratching my floor. This is getting to be overwhelming due to the office furniture. The family room will be easy to move the furniture back and forth. How should I clean the cement floor to get out any pee smells in case any pee has gone from the padding to the cement floor? The installers want $.50/sq ft to remove the carpet if I do not have it removed which does not include throwing it away for me. My brother told me last night that he would help me install the floor but he is more familiar with installing carpets and did not even know what engineered wood was. I want to make sure I do not have future problems and the job has to be done in about 3 days if possible for about 628 sq. feet so I can get back to work. I was told by one guy 6% waste to buy and another 10% waste to buy. I am pretty sure I am going with the BR-111 Triangulo Engineered Brazilian Cherry in the three rooms and doing tile in the foyer areas. I want to do tile in the kitchen since sometimes I get water in the cups in my dishwasher and it pours on my floor.

Hi @Lynn Morford, I hate to jinx things, but now three months in, I LOVE the floors. I fact, I admire them many times a day (good distraction from current CV craziness). There are about a dozen spots where there were dings or tiny cracks, which freaked me out at first, but I'm pretty sure it was just from the movers. I do take care of them like a newborn child, though--sweep, vacuum, wipe, repeat. Overall, I'm very happy with them! @everdebz, we ended up gluing down. Definitely harder on my body that floating but I've learned to wear slippers or socks and I have yoga mats in most rooms to give my feet a little vacation as I walk through the house, lol. In the end, I trusted @joseph_corlett's comment about letting the contractor make the call on what is best for the situation. Granted, I still pine for the perfect floating feel of my old Junckers flooring, but apparently theirs were unique and most other flooring can't float the same way, so... Anyway, the sad fact is, you can't remove glue-downs without destroying the boards. So fingers crossed you never have to! (I put fake wood in my laundry room and we've already had three floods, so thank god for that decision.)

OK...what you want to know is the MOISTURE content of the concrete slab. Your house 'sounds' young but in the building industry it is possible they used the old fashioned 'concrete on raw earth' type of pour. That is to say it may not have a vapour barrier underneath. By the mid-80's the use of the vapour barrier under the slab was common but not 100%. It is possible your home doesn't have it. That means you need to do some moisture testing. The Calcium Chloride test is OK (ish) but doesn't tell the whole story. An indwelling probe is going to be the best identifier of in-slab moisture content. The moisture content is SUPER important. It tells you which adhesive to use with your vinyl. Not all 100% moisture-resistant adhesives are actually 100% moisture resistant. They have limits. And believe it or not, the limits are not as high as you think. If the worst case scenario is in play, you could be looking at adhesive that costs $3/sf. The trowel application must be perfect and the plank/subfloor coverage must be 100%. There is no short cut when it comes to the moisture barrier adhesives. And if you have a damp or wet slab, be aware that 'capping it' with lot of rigid, non-breathable material like vinyl or stone or tile or hardwood, etc, you *might find yourself dealing with EXTREME moisture levels because the build up of water becomes so high, you find yourself walking on soggy flooring. It has happened in the past...it will continue to happen as long as we have concrete slabs without moisture barriers underneath. The wear layer on this product, 20mil, is good. It will look 'good' for about 10 years and then start to show that it has been lived on. Of course beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Just because a floor looks a little worn does not mean it isn't durable. In the building industry 'durable' means fully functional regardless of what it looks like. To homeowners 'durable' means 'looks perfect'. You can see where there can be some upset over the use of the word durable. Who is doing the subfloor preparating? Who is doing the moisture readings? How much of the home's footprint will receive the vinyl? What is the recommended adhesive for the product?