I wish we could edit posts! I'd like to say that even though I said "prep", I will not be chopping on this surface. My range will be behind the island and my real prep surface will be to the left of the range. When I make sandwiches and bake and things like that, some things will take place on that counter. I wanted to clarify. :)

fwiw, We have pull-out cutting surfaces made of wood. 9 months into ownership, they all have stains, cuts, etc. I would plan on stains if I were you. It's inevitable, even when you don't think they will happen.

Be sure to put stick-on bumpers underneath the legs of counter-sitting items like mixers, blenders, etc. Our oil-treated Ikea butcherblock countertop now has the marks of the rubber feet of our induction hotplate being towed from one spot to another. I used the stick-ons on everything else but not on them, sigh.

I am going through the same dilemma...I have a 5 x 8 island and can't imagine putting marble on it, even though I have it on the perimeter. My kids do homework there, and eat and drink there...I don't want to be freaky about it. I am now currently deciding between walnut and soapstone for the island. My builder has walnut on the island in his home and it looks gorgeous. It is 3" thick with a double ogee edge. His wife said it is indestructable...they have 2 small boys and she said she has been able to get marker off of it and everything. I am not sure how it was sealed...but she doesn't cook on it...it is more of an eating surface.

I had maple butcherblock on the island/worktable in the old kitchen and will have some kind of wood on the island in the new one ( Danby marble perimeter.) I did not cut directly on the maple -- used boards. Used the island mostly for prep, plating, staging. It had a mineral oil finish which needed to be renewed periodically but I liked the wood surface and will have wood again. We may use Waterlox this time.

We have Waterlox on our island's wood top, which protects it from water and stains. (Our island is 4 x 5 ft and also has a prep sink on one corner) We do not baby it and the kids are always leaving it a mess. My dd juiced several lemons, then walked away leaving the peels and splattered juice for a couple of hours, and it didn't hurt the finish in the slightest. We do our baking projects on it, prep all our fruit and veggies for cooking, sandwiches, salad, etc. (But we don't cut directly on the surface) We wipe it with a damp rag, then sometimes dry it with a towel if the cloth was too wet.

Like RHome, we have Waterlox on our wood island counter top. It's reclaimed oak planks so has some nice character. We don't use it for prep, but we sit there constantly and oftgen serve informal meals theer to guests. SUPER easy to clean and maintain. Going on to three years now.

Eliz

We've had our oak wood island top for about 3 years too and no problems. We have a wipe on poly. I did about 6 or 7 coats - real easy. I was worried about doing a poly, but we can't get Waterlox in our area. I wipe it down with a damp cloth and that's it. We eat all our meals on it as well as homework, etc. The only mishap came when I was using the electric drill to assemble a school project for my daughter (why I chose to do this on the island, I cannot explain.) I filled the hole, stained it and applied new poly. Looks fine.

I think you can order Waterlox directly...

Here is a link that might be useful: Waterlox site, purchasing info

Wow! This is so helpful! Thank you all so much for the feedback!

I keep seeing these super sealed shiny looking wood island tops in photos and think they have to be more indestructible than a typical butcher block would be. And you guys confirmed it. So this is definitely something to keep in mind. I welcome more feedback as well...good and bad.

My question I forgot in my first post is where did you locate your countertop source? Obviously you go to a stone yard for stone. Would I start with a local kitchen cabinetry design type place or somewhere else? Thanks so very much again!

Babs, there have been a few threads on wood tops recently. One was even about sources/companies for them. See if you can pull it up on a search. I contributed and mentioned Boos. That should help with a search.

One of the reasons we went with a wood peninsula (Brazilian cherry with Waterlox finish) in our kitchen was our KD's observation that wood is warmer than stone and so it would be more comfortable for dining, homework, etc.

I just posted the other day a link to online quotes for wood countertops. We got a Craft Art island and love it! It has waterlox (sp?) and I keep getting compliments! I think I know how to do the link below, but it was really helpful for a friend of mine.

Here is a link that might be useful: Craft Art Wood Countertop Online Pricing

After much debate I switched from stone to wood for all counters in my kitchen reno; just preferred the warmer look of wood. Considered Ikea but stock sizes didn't work for me so have ordered a custom top from Devos (TX)(http://www.devoswoodworking.com/). I will post photos in a few weeks when it arrives and is installed. (My fingers are crossed.)

Other custom builders recommended on the forum include:

Grothouse (http://www.glumber.com/) (Pennsylvania)
Brooks (http://www.brookscustom.com/) (New York)

My GC has previously used and recommend JThompson (NC) (http://jthompsontops.com/).

Things I learned in this process:

1. A custom wooden top is expensive, even when using basic woods. Oak is usually least expensive; cherry and walnut much more and exotics (lyptus, mahogany) even more. Be prepared to pay more than the cost of granite if you go the custom route.

2. You can save a lot if you are handy enough and lucky enough to be able to use stock sizes and do whatever seaming and finishing is required.

3. Ikea is by far the least expensive and most users seem very satisfied with their Ikea tops; however you will want to apply a more durable finish than the simple oil sold by Ikea. (Waterlox is popular and durable but high VOC - some folks move out after applying! I was planning to use a low VOC marine varnish.) I found a test piece of the Ikea beach to be quite pretty when finished with varnish.

4. John Boos (http://johnboos.com/) makes quality tops in std sizes and a variety of woods at good prices, widely available through local dealers. (My local building supply company stocks std sizes of maple and can order others.) They offer a polyurethane type finish ('Varnique') that apparently holds up pretty well and is reportedly repairable (for those inevitable dings and scratches) with their EZ-Do finish. I wanted a different wood and thus did not choose Boos.

5. Once you move to a custom built top the price goes way up -- but it arrives ready to install. No cutting, no joining, no sanding, no finishing. Took me a while to pony up, but this was my final choice.

Hope this helps.

You guys are just a wealth of knowledge. I truly appreciate all of this.

I've done some searching but the search here isn't that great. I'll go through google for this site to get better results and see where that gets me.

I'm bookmarking this thread and looking up those brands as well. Thank you guys so much!

doh...of course I meant Ikea 'beech'...maybe I need more coffee this morning...

I'm right there with you all. Vickimp, do you have a photo of you Brazilian Cherry top? That's what we're considering. What are your cabs underneath? Same reasons...warmer, less clinkier..for island and peninsula.

My neighbor has a beautiful brand new walnut island that 3 weeks in was badly scratched by a morter/pestle. She's bummed! Apparently the cabinet maker can sand/reoil the spot, but now she's constantly worried about the surface. Is Waterlox more durable against scratches?

Here's the thread to which I referred earlier. There are many companies list as well as other DIY options if you're so inclined. I need to review this myself as I'm leaning towards a wood-topped island with a prep sink!

Here is a link that might be useful: Companies for wood tops

@jw32, which specific marine varnish are you using? I have a slab of Ikea beech counter to be finished in the near future and had been planning to do Waterlox, but didn't realize it was high VOC....looked it up, and yep, it is, so I can't buy it in California. (We can't use high VOC products for other reasons anyway, so it would be out even if I could get my hands on it.) Would love other good suggestions!

Artemis: I was using 'Le Tonkinois', an easy to apply, low VOC tung oil varnish. It is available from a CA company: American Tar & Rope (http://www.tarsmell.com/). It produces a high-gloss surface but you can achieve a satin or matte finish by adding 'Gelomat' to the final coat. (Similar to using 'satin' Waterlox for final coat.)

It is used outdoors as a marine varnish, thus is totally waterproof (as long as the surface is maintained.) It produces a warm golden color, is easy to apply and to repair and while not odorless, is not awful. (You'll still want good ventilation to use it.) It is slow to dry, needs 24 hours between coats. (Just like Waterlox.)

Here's a photo of my test beech counter from Ikea with about 5 coats of the varnish. (No flattener, so pretty shiny.)

We have John Boos Maple for our island
Oiled finish (boo's mystery oil. a food safe oil)

We cut on it directly. We have had about 10 years. Daily use and 2 kids.
Still love it and it looks fantastic. The only stains I couldn't get out with baking soda and lemon juice was sharpie marker. Just sanded that spot with sandpaper and re-oiled. Good as new and very easy.

@jw34...we are getting our walnut island top from JThompson Tops! I just got my sample today, and it is gorgeous. They have some really pretty pics on their website, lots of pics of cherry, etc...

Wow, so many beautiful countertops! We have decided to go with wood on our island for warmth (I read the newspaper at breakfast with elbows on counter) and looks. I haven't picked a supplier yet but got a great price quote for several nice woods from DeVos woodworking, which is near Austin, TX. John Boos was cheaper for regular sizes but ours is a bit too wide, plus in Texas I just have to consider mesquite edge-grain as an option.
We wave had a kitchen table for our entire 35 year marriage that has a t made of oak flooring (yeah, it was the 70's). Used tung oil every five or so years, scrubbed it with whatever was at hand, always looked good. Tung oil is great !

I keep seeing these super sealed shiny looking wood island tops in photos and think they have to be more indestructible than a typical butcher block would be.

In case you don't want super shiny, Waterlox can be done in a Satin finish which looks more like a hand-rubbed oil finish with the waterproof protection of something shinier. You'd use the original/sealer for the first 2 coats, then follow with cloth-applied coats of the Satin. Waterlox also has a marine finish, which is recommended for exterior uses, but isn't necessary on countertops.

In the following photo, you can see the Waterlox Satin, hand-rubbed type of sheen on the cabinet door vs the lacquer finish DH sprayed on the trim around the bookshelf...He forgot about the Waterlox we were doing in our house, and was doing another project with the lacquer and finished both together.

My parent's house has a butcher block on the center island very similar to juliekcmo. It has been in the house since it was built in 1985. It has never been sealed ever, we cut on it, we spill on it and the spills do not get cleaned up for long periods of time, and i've even had sharpie marker marks on it in the past. You cannot in any way tell that the counter is 20+ years old. There are no visible marks, they just sort of seem to blend and disappear with regular cleanings and time, even w/o sealing (and not really vigorous cleaning- no one really cares about doing any kind of maintenance to this counter at this stage, it's just there).

Cindaintx--we got our Brazilian cherry peninsula top from DeVos and I can't say enough good things about them and the countertop they made for us. We are in Seattle and so had lots of emailing and faxing back and forth, with us sending a template (several right angles, reinforced overhang, etc.) and the top was cut perfectly. We have the Waterlox finish and, after a year of use with two 11-year-old boys, it looks great.

I couldn't find this thread again when I logged in again. Thank you guys so much!

So do you all feel like for a family that eats around the island that it would be a better choice than marble? I'm thinking so...

Babs, we absolutely love our Walnut Craft Art wood countertop. In addition to being BEAUTIFUL, it's been quite durable. Craft Art uses Waterlox (they say it's standard) and we have an undermount sink in ours--no problem at all!

I read on another post (can't remember which one) that Craft Art is selling pre-made tops direct and at a much lower price. Might be worth your while to look. But either way, you'll LOVE wood. Wood is Good!!!

Can we re-visit this topic please?! I have a quote from a cabinet maker to make us a wood island top, and this is what he quoted us for: a maple counter top for our island with varnish or he said he could use linseed oil. If I remember correctly, he suggested the oil because when it does get dings in it, it would be less noticeable than with the varnish. I am clueless in this dept. I obviously have seen that most of you prefer Waterlox, but when I asked the maker about it, he had never heard of it!

So my questions...

1. Is Maple okay to use or is another wood variety better?
2. What finish do you recommend?
3. Should I ask him to leave it raw and finish it myself? FYI, it will be same price to do that, no money saved, so might as well request the finish of my choice.

Thanks for your help!

bump...not seeing it show up in current listing of topics?

found this useful, wanted to share.

Here is a link that might be useful: wood counter top 101