1) I would want the wire to go a bit under the vanity, like 4". I have heard that people can feel the change of temp from the wired area to the unwired areas. If the toes touch unwired areas they would feel cold floor.

2) I got the thermostat that was sold at the website where bought my wire, Warmyourfloors. The name on the box is "Warmyourfloor

3) I installed 2 sensors. One will be hooked up as directed and the other just tucked into the box awaiting the call, if ever needed.

4) I used a digital multimeter instead of the "loud mouth". I spent about $30 on it if I remember. Got it at Lowes. It can be used for other things too.

5) I used WarmWire system from SunTouch. It is not the mat system. It is spaced every 2.5" in my installation. There is a warning not to get the wires too close, so there is a minimum distance to maintain.

6) As mentioned above I got WarmWire 240v for my 35sf needs. I bought it from Warmyour Floor at www.warmyourfloor.com

This is how I figured my wire needs:
{{gwi:1438595}}

After subfloor fixed to the need for my slate, the ply was primed for the SLC that will go over the wire:
{{gwi:1476063}}

The wire was covered with a plastic lath that I got at The Tile Shop. This was to add some strength to the SLC, I don't know if it is working or not:)
{{gwi:1476065}}

2 Sensors leading out of the wire area, you can see them coming from the lower left over to the right toward the wall:
{{gwi:1506020}}

Here is the setup we're doing. We also have small bathroom and the coverage will be about 20 sq feet. Our shape is not straight rectangle so we've decided to do wires instead of mats. Yes, you can interchange mats/wires and thermostats between different manufacturers, it's the fact no manufacturer will admit.
We will be putting Cerazorb for thermal insulation, RPM mats (perfect for wires, you can google it), Suntouch Warmwire (simply because the length of their 20 sq ft package is within a few feet of what we need, Warming System's package for 20 sq ft was cheaper but lengthwise was much smaller). I've bought Watts Radiant Loud Mouth Monitor, Aube Floor Sensing Thermostat TH115-AF-120S and extra sensor (total of 2) on Ebay, all much cheaper than straight from manufacturer. The thermostat doesn't have built-in GFI, which is fine, we will connect it to existing GFI circuit. Your case might be different. We will placing wires 2" apart, I think 3" is too wide as many mats offer.
I think it's OK to put mats right under your feet at the vanity since it's raised, the rule is to keep it 2-4" from vanity if it's on a floor.
Thermostat: you can get any thermostat as long as it has a floor sensor.
Extra sensor is not necessary, but recommended in case 1 sensor fails. I would recommend getting extra sensor the same as original sensor that comes with thermostat.
Alarms can also be interchangeable, again not necessary but helpful.
The mats/wires do appear to be very similar. I'd recommend getting ones with good warranty and good customer service. I don't think Nuheat mats are significantly better than Warming Systems other than that may be they have more wires per mat.

Thanks eduring. Few questions:

2) Do you recall whcih thermostat you got and just curious as to what made you choose that particular one.

3) Regarding your sensors...these are floor temp sensors correct? Just want to make sure I am ordering the correct thing.

6) You mention you got a 240v for your 35sqft needs. I was under the impression that for small sqft needs that 120V would work just fine. Should I look at 240V instead? What is the advantage of 240V over 120V? Is it just electrical efficiency (i.e. lower electric bills)? Is there extra electrician costs associated with going with a 240V? Just evaluating whether we should go 120 or 240.

Do you mind me asking how long it took for you to install the cable and strap system? I am wondering how much longer it takes versus a mat install. Curious as to whether it is worth the minor difference in cost, which is ~$47-$65 (depending on whether I purchase the $18 mat install kit for SunTouch)

This post was edited by firsthome on Thu, Dec 6, 12 at 16:29

elk2000, I saw your post listed here:
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/bath/msg011343213772.html

I am looking at Warming Systems and Heat Tech as well. Both include thermostats, but the Warming Systems thermostat is a non GFCI thermostat. Did you ever find out whether it OK to just connect it to already existing CFGI circuit or whether you need to install a dedicated line for floor installation?

I think you can get an extra sensor from a different manufacturer, but just to be on a safe side I would make sure that 2 sensors are exactly the same.
I see no reason not to pair Laticrete mat and Suntouch (or any other) thermostat. Many different brands are using same thermostat which is, I believe, Honeywell.
If you already have a dedicated GFI circuit then you may connect your thermostat to it. You just need to calculate the total wattage already used on that circuit plus the wattage of your floor. If you have about 20 sq ft, that's about 12-15 wt per sq foot, so your floor will be using about 300 watts. Your continuous wattage, 80%, allowed by the circuit will be either 1440 watts (for 15 A) or 1920 (for 20A). So, make some calculations and see if you do need or don't need an additional GFI breaker.