According to iCore II installation directions: "Although moisture will not affect iCORE II plank, it is recommended not to install iCORE II over concrete slab with a history of excessive moisture." As well, the recommended installation is over its proprietary Whisper 3Nl underlayment. But no separate moisture barrier is required whether installed on or below grade. From my net searches, I don't believe that either product of these Belgium-based companies, Dumafloor or Aquastep, are yet available in North America.

Hi @Tracy I used Sherwin Williams Pure White for my cabinets, and also used it on all of our trim, doors, and ceiling. The name 'pure white' is deceiving as the color is more of a soft/warm white versus a stark bright white, but it doesn't have a yellow tinge to it ... hopefully that makes sense? I must have watched a gazilion youtube vides comparing different tones of white before landing on 'pure white'! We used knotty alder wood for our stained lower cabinets. I LOVE white oak, but it was not in our budget as we also remodeled our primary bathroom, fireplace and outdoor area (I've attached a pic of our bathroom below - same color palette as the kitchen with agreeable grey on the wall and pure white for the trim and same stain as our kitchen cabinets). I showed our painter a sample of the post oak flooring and had him make up a few custom stain samples that would compliment it. We wanted to go with a more natural look, he ended up only adding a few drops of brown and white into a clear coat to land on the stain that we have. I wonder if you can ask your painter to try and do the same or go into a Sherwin Williams and see what they suggest. I wish it was a straight up answer for you ... unfortunately I don't know what color of brown or white he added to the clear coat or exactly how much of it. I hope this helps! There are so many stressful decisions.

Company A has chemically sealed Schedule 40? LOL. That means they are glued and normal. Just make sure it's all hard pipe. Put 2.5" suction on the drains. Especially important for the spa. By keeping the returns open a little, a separate pool return in the spa can be eliminated as well as the dedicated 2 HP pump. Just use the pool pump for the spa. Its can go up to 2 HP also. If they bring in a heat pump, they'll more amps brought in. Company B likes to glue their plumbing fittings too! Shocking! You might think its an industry standard, And you'd be right! Heheh. Same issue with the drains, go to 2.5" pipes. Why only 6 jets? Why not an E-Pump? Only the spa will need it. The pump is normally slowed and run a little longer so it saves power in pool circulation. How big is the DE filter? I don't see that there is a controller. Since you're lighting it, putting in color LED fixtures in makes sense. Why is the 100W quartz in the spa and not a colored LED? A 12 year warranty has to be specific to them. Find out ahead of time what isn't covered. Both companies: Salt it. Its easiest to care for. Scott

I suspect you will regret bamboo. I have stranded bamboo in a kitchen and I wouldn't put it in a bath. If you really don't have the money to truly fix the deflection, use a small mosaic tile, hexagon or penny-round will probably work best. Use a masonry board or a uncoupling membrane and then adhere the tiles with a flexible thin set. I prefer Laticrete 254, but if you have to do the big box store, Flex bond from Home Depot isn't bad. Then use a decent flexible grout. The Mapei flexcolor is a solid product. If your floor is flexing enough to break those tiles then you have much bigger problems. Eventually the grout might work loose but you should have quite a while before that becomes a real problem. ETA: Check my advice on the johnbridge forums if you would like. You can literally paste my advice to your problem over there and get opinions from professional tilers who will put their name and experience right there in their signature.