Pete summarized the main points nicely, though I'd disagree that solid surface pans are all ugly. Plain, perhaps, but I don't think they necessarily detract from the look of a beautifully tiled shower. But in the end, aesthetics are a personal opinion, so only you can decide if it matters to you. One more thing no one mentioned: pre-fabs are idiot-proof. If tiled floors (and all the stuff that goes underneath) are not installed correctly, you can end up with a mess on your hands. But you don't often see GW horror stories entitled "my contractor screwed up my solid base shower!" :-) My sister has a tiled shower floor and complains of discolored grout. That's what drove me initially to do a solid surface pan. Ease of install and idiot-proofness were bonuses for this DIY-er. And I like it fine. We're done with all the bathrooms in our house, but now that I'm much more informed about shower construction, I'm likely to try a fully tiled (and kerdi'd) shower in a future bathroom project, should it materialize someday.

We've had engineered (handscraped oak gunstock, 5/8" thick) flooring in a living room for about a year. We like it so well that we've just purchased enough of the same flooring to install it throughout the rest of the downstairs, including in our kitchen. We selected a click-lock version, which is glueless and results in a floating floor. Installation was a breeze (just need to make custom cuts at the ends of runs, and around door jambs, etc.) and the 5/8" thick planks are heavy enough that the floating floor feels very solid rather than having that "hollow" feeling some floating floors have. I would avoid a 3/8" product if you want a solid feeling. I've found that it will scratch, but no more so than a regular solid wood floor. Follow the usual care practice recommended for wood floors - pads under furniture, regular sweeping/vacuuming, etc.. The particular kind we got has just a thin veneer which, normally, might be able to be sanded just once, but because of the "hand-scraped" effect, can't really be sanded. But, there is new technology out there which abrades "sculpted" floors with sort of a brush attachment, allowing for refinishing without sanding to bare wood. Realistically, I figure if there were major damage, I would replace the damaged planks. I don't expect to refinish this floor. Factory finishes are actually more durable than anything that can be applied on-site. Things to think about... a lot of people advise against engineered floors (or wood, in general) in kitchens because of the potential for spills. Some people have some horror stories to tell. But, engineered wood flooring in particular is recommended for areas where there is excess moisture, so it seems like a good choice (over solid wood) in a kitchen. Because of its multilayer construction, it is more stable than solid wood. Obviously, you don't want to let spills sit for any length of time if you can avoid it. But, I actually took a few scraps of wood leftover from our first installation, and did all sorts of "tests" on them. I soaked them in water, and I let water (and even vinegar, to recreate cat puke...) sit on them while they were clicked together. The substrate of mine is mostly HDF, with plywood sandwiched in the middle, and I didn't have problems. The HDF is impregnated with wax, resisting water. I am most excited to install these in my kitchen - I have identified an indoor/outdoor kilim rug available from Pottery Barn and plan to use that near my stove and sink to help protect the floor. Otherwise, I'll just exercise common sense. Note that I am usually a "purist" when it comes to most construction products. I HATE vinyl siding, I HATE vinyl flooring, I HATE laminate flooring. I had to wrap my brain around the engineered flooring, but gave in because the installation was just so easy. I really love it - because the top layer is real wood, it has a sort of authentic beauty laminate just can't match. It really has a warm look and we're pleased we took the plunge.

I agree with crcollins. We just did Coretec LVP throughout our Florida house. DH wanted wood but it just couldn't fly in our particular case. He is now a convert. I have ceramic wood tiles in my primary home for over 20 years. I got it before it became a thing. But, it is only in the TV room off the garage. Makes sense in this situation. But, it is a cold floor. Ceramic is hard on your joints. I find the lVP very easy to live with, easy to clean and easy on my joints and not cold if you walk barefoot. Also, much cheaper than the wood would have been if we could have done that. We did get quotes from flooring stores, and of course if you want something, they can do work arounds. I'm glad we decided against it. Itsourcasa, I really like yours. What brand is it?

@Chessie The irony is that we actually don't even take baths! The default option was a built-in bathtub surrounded by a rectangular tiled edge, and I knew we'd be bonking our knees and calves into the corners every time we walked into our closets. Similar to this one: So we upgraded to a freestanding just so we could avoid the bruises! Though looking at it now that it's installed, it kind of makes me want to take a bath after all.