This is a budget thing that I thought I would really regret when we built, but I actually don't. In our bid, our builder priced our house with HW everywhere downstairs, except the master bedroom. He included HW in the upstairs hall (which is actually a really big hall, it is hard to explain, but it wraps around the entry and the bedrooms up there are pretty far from each other.) Anyway, I was adamant that I wanted the entire 1st floor to be HW, but it would be $5000 to add HW to the master, so we changed the upstairs hall to carpet, to free up the $$ to put HW in the master. You can't see from downstairs that the upstairs is carpet (our stairs are HW,) but I really thought it would be sort of cheap looking to carpet up there. Actually...it has been so nice. It is really quiet up there. We have 2 children who have their friends over all the time, and I can't imagine how LOUD it would have been with HW. Plus...with HW you have the added expense of buying all those area rugs. So far, for us, we haven't minded the carpet upstairs. It isn't even on my list of things I'd like to ultimately change!

Almost need to see a pic or two to get an opinion formed for you.

Durock's website says to install on wood. But I found this info... Manufacturer Recommendations James Hardie Industries, makers of HardieBacker®, and USG, makers of Durock®, indicate that their respective cement backer boards should not be installed over concrete. James Hardie: HardieBacker specifications specifically exclude concrete as a base for installation. USG: Durock does not expressly exclude concrete, but the material is specified only for minimum 5/8-inch exterior-grade plywood or OSB. One source reports that USG will not officially validate the Durock-to-concrete attachment simply because they have not tested it. The lack of testing may be simply because so few customers express a need for applying Durock to concrete. There is no problem with the two materials being compatible. The issue, as Bud Cline of The Floor Pro says, is more about how to attach the cement board to the concrete. A powder-actuated nailer is out of the question since nail depth would be impossible to regulate. Concrete screws, Cline says, have heads that are too small to hold down the cement board. His recommendation: Work with the concrete surface so that it is strong enough and porous enough to accept tile mortar. Portland cement-based fillers can take care holes and cracks. Painted concrete can be sandblasted, sanded, or ground down to bring up a nice, porous surface. Most tile professionals, including John Bridge, concur: Attaching cement board to concrete is not an acceptable way to surface the concrete prior to tile installation. Thin-set alone will not help the cement board stick to the concrete slab. Screws are the only logical way to do this, but it would entail an extremely tedious and time-consuming process of drilling pilot holes before sinking the screws. Additionally, you would be fighting against the thin-set bed under the cement board when drilling the holes and driving the screws. The View of Tile Professionals But the manufacturer prohibitions or omissions are warranty issues. The questions remain: Can you effectively pair two cementitious products—cement board and a concrete slab? ************************************ I went to Wedi's website, and the foam panels CAN be used on concrete for floor tile. Installation over concrete subfloors Floor application for wedi Building Panel All wedi Building Panel sizes and thicknesses can be used as tile underlayments over concrete subfloors. Modified thinset mortar, combed through with a minimum 1/4” x 1/4” notch trowel, will then provide a ribbed bed into which the wedi Building Panels will be laid. All joints should be staggered so that no seam continues throughout the length of the floor. Apply weights (i.e. tile boxes) onto the surface and where transitions are located while the mortar is setting up. After the mortar has set, wedi alkali resistant fiberglass mesh tape, or wedi Sealing Tape or wedi Joint Sealant should be applied to all seams, then tiling can begin. So Wedi panels may be easier and faster for us to install after the marble tile is gone. I also found a new floating porcelain tile product that Dal Tile started selling. It is like installing laminate flooring or vinyl planks. Dal Tile Revo Tile - they said I could install it over the marble as long as I level the floor with self-leveling compound, including where the missing tile is. I still need to follow requirements per tile industry as to x " per 10 ft. I can't remember ... 3/16" or something like that. https://www.daltile.com/revotile $4.50 sf plus $25.00 for tools, $58.00 for 9 lbs of grout. Underlayment $54.00. Adhesive tape for seams. $542.00 and I can install it. I am calling We Ship Floors tomorrow to see if their floating Supercore Extreme Vinyl Tiles can be installed over my marble once the floor is leveled. And if I can install over Wedi panels. For someone who works with mud day in and day out, I am sure it is much cheaper, but I am afraid that I can't do it. Three more tile guys today told me wrong installation procedures for backerboard on the marble and for the tub surround, so I will not be calling them back. Just because they owned a trowel doesn't make them an expert on tiling,

Please provide a little more background to your question. You will never successfully match real wood to man made…