Ya, it is very white and sterile. I asked for T5-HO shop lighting. They doubled the number of bulbs in each fixture from what I asked (spec'd for the job). So, it's blindingly bright in there. That will change once I start moving in shelving and putting the filtration in place. I'll be happy to have the extra light.
There is some trim work to do in there. I'll be closing off that closet where the home water filter is. I have to build, paint, and install the window jams. That's no big deal, but it's not going to happen until the contractors are done crawling through the windows.
Yes, I will be coating the floor. I haven't shopped around a lot, but I will likely just use the grey shop/garage floor paint you can pick up at Home Depot. I'll add some of the grit to it that they sell separate. That will give the floor some grip when the water is flying around from a loose hose. I might even add the flakes they sell with the paint. It needs to look pretty right?
The first step in all of that will be leveling the floor in there. Or, hopefully getting the floor sloped towards the drain, rather than away from it as it currently lays.
Once all of that is done, I can start accumulating the racks for the filtration equipment, frag tanks, coral QT, fish QT, and storage.