Having recently removed 500 sq feet of tile to put in wood I can definitely say that the dust and mess from the tile removal is MUCH WORSE than that from the sanding of the floors (my guys did contain the dust with bags on their sanders). I too was concerned about the mess of site finished (I have 3 kids). I decided to go with it anyway because it is what I really wanted and it is such a long term decision. I am so glad I did because the tile makes such a mess that it almost would have been laughable if I would have chosen the prefinished simply to avoid the dust. It does take longer for site finished, but to me it is well worth it and what's a few more days. You'll need to stay away from house for several days. Just wanted to point out that part about the tile removal because it hadn't been mentioned yet. I say get what you like. Good luck!

Aniline dye is still about the best colorant for wood. It is available in 'basic' colors and also mixed shades. It is actually rather easy to use and forgiving of application mistakes (it cam be lightened by wiping woth clear water, light sanding, or be easily bleached out). Unlike minwax stain (and most others) it is not a pigment, but an actual dye, really just thin paint. Especially in darker colors it starts to act like pint and obscure the grain of the wood. While bobsmyuncle posted the factory finish regimen, many of the steps are actually designed to save time in a factory or allow use of lower quality wood. Toning is done with colored lacquers to make color uniform after the dye has been applied. On some furniture they forgo the dye completely and just use toning lacquer followed by a clear top coat. A lot depends on the type and quality of the wood used. I do 'one off' work, and use only first & second grade hardwoods. Factories cannot afford these woods, so they routinely use lower grades and glue up for larger pieces. They sometimes even leave sapwood and then color it to match the hardwood. Here is a link that might be useful: J E Moser aniline dye

When we redid our long, narrowish galley kitchen and adjacent laundry room we also used 12x24 tiles. I could have gone either way since our surrounding wood floor is on a diagonal. Our tile guys recommended it go lengthwise (bowling alley) saying that is how they would lay hardwood in the room. I laid tile out both ways and agreed with them. I think the only time you get the "it makes the room look wider" is when it's laid on the diagonal. Can you lay some tile out in both directions next to the hardwood? Personally, I think it looks better going in the same direction as the wood floor, but it's really a personal preference. BTW, our tile is laid in a 3/4 offset pattern like in your last picture.

It's a legitimate question, bac. Cherry is the best choice as it takes dark stain very well and is a hardwood. The sapwood shouldn't be an issue because of the dark stain, but he should show you samples. You can also request all heartwood but it will add to the expense. Alder also takes dark stain well and is just as beautiful to my eye as stained cherry, but it is a softer wood. That may not be an issue in a bathroom as it could be in a kitchen. I wouldn't hesitate to use it but I'd protect it if I had a plumber or electrician in with their heavy tools. You can look at the Janka scale to compare wood hardness. Maple is a very hard wood so the stain doesn't penetrate as well and it can be blotchy with a dark stain. It doesn't have the richness of cherry imo. I don't think birch is usually stained dark. It's less commonly used than the other three woods. Here is my Kraftmaid cherry vanity in the caffee stain, one of their darkest. I would bet there's sapwood in it. The red comes through a little more in photos than it does in person.