There are many things to consider when choosing hardwood flooring for your home, species, color and width are the first step to choosing a floor. Figuring out on the amount of wear and traffic you will have on the floor will help you on you decision.
After species, color and width are chosen now you can choose the finish. There are 2 basic finishes, oil and water. Oil modified finishes are considered the basic finish (typically provided by home builders). Standard water borne finishes are an upgraded from oil finishes. Commercial water borne finishes are typically a 2 component product and are much more durable than a standard water finish.