thecompnerd,
Please read my exact phrase:
"I would survey with APs at 12 power at 50 and at 60 feet and see what kind of propagation you get."
I did not say Aruba, I said "I". Also I did not say deploy, I said "survey". These are my words and are from my experiences, and my experiences alone. Every deployment is different, but you have to start somewhere. That somewhere is with an actual survey and I would start it at 50 or 60 feet with the access point(s) at 12 to match the minimum power you would have an AP on the 5ghz band.
You have to make individual decisions based on your site specifics. I am mentioning a starting point and my rationale.
The best way to approach wifi design is to start somewhere, prototype and iterate.