Stranded is a gluedown only product. It is too hard to get a fastener through it, and it shrinks and swells too much for floating with just glue at the T&G joint. They are however, making a glueless click with the stuff for floating only... but the jury is out on that stuff. Works good in some climates and a disaster in others.

Too much going on?? A floating vanity is simply a shorter vanity, with no legs and hung on the wall ... so not much more going on than what you would have with a regular vanity ... actually there is less going on, since floating vanities are visually lighter. I agree with rockybird. I just remodeled 3 bathrooms and did floating vanities in all of them. I used intricate tile in the bathrooms and wanted to keep the vanities simple and airy. I have a newer Spanish style house and the floating vanities fit the bathrooms perfectly, so it doesn't have to be a MCM house like rockybirds's or a modern house. Did you search Houzz photos? Lots of floating vanities with wallpaper.

I know but I'm playing the role of the project manager and trying to coordinate between different people - thank you for sharing your thoughts!

"If you are building a vanity along the same wall as a shower, what is the closest you'd want the end of the vanity to be to the glass?" Depending on how you want to interpret code regarding the sheet of shower glass being a wall, code says IF there is going to be a gap, the minimum is 4". There's another number, which is a minimum of 15" between a side wall and the center line of the sink. In my jurisdiction, the shower glass is considered a wall and those measurements are enforced. Your mileage may vary. "Is it ever OK to have the vanity top pressed right up against the glass? I imagine you'd have to put a bead of some kind of caulk or sealant to keep water and such from seeping into the gap that is there even if you can't see if because the two are touching." Yes, they can touch, and yes, a bead of caulk sandwiched between the glass and stone could be useful. It'll act as a cushion of sorts between the glass and stone and it'll prevent seepage between the two.