Thanks Bill. I feel better now. I'm planning to do the tile work myself. I have fortified Versabond thinset mortar. Is there an additive you recommend? e.g. latex admix? Also, I'm thinking about glass tiles in the shower shelf, but would need a white background rather than the Redguard. Would a layer of thinset over top of the Redguard present a problem? Don't want to compromise Red Guard's sealant properties. Also don't want the red coloration to eventually "bleed through" to the tile. Thoughts? Thanks again.

I didn't know that about cork! I did some online research but didn't know that about the underlying layers. Back to the floor drawing board. (I have cork in my kitchen and thought it wuold be nice in the bath since it is right down the hall from the kitchen was all). I did some... poking around.. and the hole literally goes through to my crawl space. Maybe I should have posted in the "disaster forum!" I think I need to do some more digging (no pun intended) to figure out what to do next. Thanks for both of your advice!

Subwaytile: Would you mind telling me what the inside of the Cartwright cabinet looks like? Is it mirrored inside? How far does the door swing (I mean, the angle)? If possible, would you take a picture or two of the cabinet with the door wide open and of the inside? Also, are you happy with the large-size Cartwright? I have the larger Memoirs pedestal sink which measures 30", and wonder if the large might over power it. The overall width of the large is 28" at the top. However, my oldest son is 6'6" so I need a rather long mirror to accomodate him and my nine year old son as well. It's hard to believe that 10 years ago my tall son was the same height as my nine year old. Talk abut kids growing fast. Your bathroom is really lovely. Isn't it a relief to have it done? Here is a link that might be useful: Cartwright Medicine Cabinet

I would leave it and find some beautiful cotton floor rugs in a complimentary color - there are so many beautiful blues available -and put them where you would expect to want to stand on something soft. Less floor jumping out at you when you walk in and since the floor really is neutral the eye will go to the beautiful bath rugs. I would not pay to have the counters honed. The color won't change and the upkeep will be greater - the honed surface will absorb spills faster than the polished surface. The counter surface is not that great - once you have a few accessories on them as everyone has noted it will be less obvious. RIght now all you are looking at is the floor and counters because nothing else is in yet. The rug in Monicakm's picture would be a beautiful color in yours too. I am finishing a whole house remodel and I completely understand the stress of discovering something is not turning out quite as expected. My issue is my kitchen cabinets - my cabinet maker is not quite the craftsman I thought he was. I know for a while every time I go in there my eye will go to the less than perfect stain job ;-) My DH said I was being overly picky but then we had friends come over and within minutes she was running her fingers over the bubbles in the finish that were nicely highlighted by the way the light hits the cabinet! She did tell me today what I told you - I have no counters or backsplash or even cabinet doors - there wasn't much for her to look at so she really saw what was there. However - I am going to get the brand and color of the stain and finish and I will probably be touching it up on my own after all is said and done! I can't do much about the filler that doesn't match the solid cherry at all and should not be necessary of the cabinets were built right in the first place!