After years of analysis paralysis, I still have old ugly carpet in the bedrooms, and I'm about to pull the trigger on hardwood. The years of inaction have been good in the sense that I've refined my tastes. I went through a bamboo phase, then a birch phase, and ultimately, I appreciate the classic look of old fashioned oak floors with long thin strips.

My subfloor is concrete, and the bedroom floors will be meeting up with a travertine stone floor with a height of approximately 3/4" including the mortar. I'd really love to avoid any T-bars between flooring types and quarter rounds on the edges.

I've seen lots of examples of the lighter "basketball court" style traditional oak floors, as well as some darker ones, and so I'm leaning towards a pre-finished oak product I saw at Floor & Decor.

One was by Bruce, 3/4" thick (which I think is too thick for me unless I glue it down (and can it even be glued directly to a concrete subfloor? ): http://imgur.com/3Ht1NIE

I also saw a similar product at F&D, half the price of the bruce ($1.87 vs $3.49), and only 3/8" thick vs 3/4", but looks just as nice, by a brand called "Wingwood" (made in China): http://imgur.com/88XfBew. Does anyone know anything about Wingwood floors? This thickness may be better for me if I'm going to have to use a plywood subfloor on top of my concrete.

Ultimately, I don't love the glossiness or light color of either of these choices, and was thinking I could be better off installing unfinished oak strips and then having them finished to meet my color and finish needs. My assumption is that the wood would be cheaper to buy unfinished, but the requirement to finish it would increase the price. Can anyone clue me in on the basics of raw vs finished products, and the effort and cost associated with finishing a raw floor?

Thanks for reading, and for any advice.

The main drawback to a pre-finished floor, in my opinion, is the eased edges that show around each strip or plank that helps prevent splinters if the flooring is not sanded and finished perfectly.
Have you found pre-sanded ¾ inch flooring that would be finished on site after the glue-down? There are many engineered styles that only need minimal sanding after installation. You can choose the color and finish to suit your taste. If you want a close to perfect match height-wise, this would be the way to go. It looks just like solid after finishing, but has advantages of an engineered product which can be glued to the slab. I would suggest easing the edge where the two materials meet and then fill with a caulking that matches grout that was used between the tiles. Use a foam backer rod between, in the gap, and then fill only the top quarter-inch with caulking. (Packing foam will work instead of backer rod, to partially fill the ¾ inch deep gap).
You may spend a dollar a square foot on materials to finish the floor and usually takes two or more days, depending on which stain you use. I like to stain the floor to bring out the grain pattern and this helps mask wear that takes place over time. Once the stain has hardened, the finish coats will take two days in most cases.

Thanks for the advice and information.

I like the idea of a 3/4" engineered floor that can be glued directly to the slab, and that will match my stone floor height perfectly.

The question is prefinished, or pre-sanded? Is the only real difference the eased edges on each strip? Seems that a prefinished product would be much simpler without having to worry about the finishing process and the potentially harmful odors.

Ultimately, I'd like to have a floor that matches te one in my friends 100-year-old San Francisco apartment. He just sent me some pictures:

http://imgur.com/a/9fEx1

Any ideas what this wood is? Oak? And what is this color?

Thanks again. appreciate the help.

This looks like 3 or 4 inch plank with a "warm brown" colored stain, probably white oak. Stain could be Spice Brown, or Special Walnut. I like a very little bit of red color when staining white oak.
The factory finished flooring usually has a very wear resistant finish and you only pay a couple of dollars a square foot more. When you are done laying it you can use it right away. Some glues will etch the finish so be sure that you get one that is easy to clean up.

Thanks, Pete.

Another question if you don't mind: Is it possible to just use an oil or wax (maybe with or without stain, depending on if the oil is tinted), but not put on a finish coat?

I don't want anything glossy, and I'm worried that a matte or satin finish will take away from the natural woodgrain. I just want to see wood and not a sheen or reflection of light. But I need to be sure that the wood is protected. Can an oil alone do that or is a finish coat required?

I have used a penetrating stain for a finish since the 1980's. Only two coats of oil stain will seal the floor and protect it from normal use. There are new 2 part, one coat penetrating finishes, too. I would think that they would be satisfactory for bedroom use, but I would not count on them for a kitchen.
The two coats of stain would be able to be coated with a surface film, if you decide that you don't care to maintain the floor finish like it needs to be. There are modern film type matte finishes that have no luster and don't seem to have a layer of plastic on the surface.
I always like to enhance the grain pattern with a stain vs. a "natural" finish. It takes more finesse to produce a scratch free floor working with sanding machines after the floor has been laid than a natural finish. Another benefit of a stained floor is it will "anchor" the architecture, especially an older house with tall ceilings. When the floor starts to get some wear over time and the floor becomes embossed, with the soft grain pressed down below the hard grain, the embossed areas tend to get dirty, which enhances the grain pattern, like a stained floor. This will happen over time with regular foot traffic. The older linseed oil finishes always got a little darker over time, too. If someone says they like a "natural" finish using a modern varnish, it will look a lot different than an older natural finish produced by the gloss varnishes of old. There are many choices, so make a sample if you have a chance.