Also if there is any tutorial online some knows of.

I could tell the thing was low quality by the number of visible defects in the lumber, and the thickness is barely an inch.

John Boos sells quality wood countertops, at a more reasonable price than Ikea. When I say more reasonable, this is based on the fact that the thickness is double and the quality of the wood is WAY better. So the John boos countertops have 2x as much wood and it is about 3x better quality wood. John Boos price is about $30/ square foot for Maple. At that rate, Ikea tops are worth about $5/ square foot.

The 8' is worth $80 and the 12' $120. Still a total rip-off

if a film finish (like polyurethane, for example) were to get dinged...a knife edge, a dropped object, whatever...it can't really be spot finished. It's usually a sand-the-whole-thing-down-and-recoat proposal.

If you use a durable wood that is naturally durable then you can use something like mineral oil on it. Anything happens and you just renew the oil with a wipe on, sit, wipe off.

When I use teak in a kitchen I'll use mineral oil.

For construction, if end-grain butcher block, I'll usually use epoxy. If edge-grain, plank-style, then I'll go to biscuits (for alignment and added joint strength) and titebond or epoxy.

Treat the top of the counter the same as the bottom (if you urethane the top, then urethane the bottom, for example) and you won't have uneven moisture, eliminating, or at least minimizing, any cupping or crowning.

I've had wood countertops in my kitchen for years. Zero issues. Undermount sink. Zero issues.

I'm using Titebond II on a flooring project right now. I'm glad somebody mentioned that or I'd probably use plain old carpenters glue.

The thing was fastened down to the base cabinet front and back with slotted brackets for expansion. The center crowned up about an inch and a half from wiping it down with water.

I, and many others here, have the IKEA counter tops.

If you want to use it as a wet surface you need to use a finish on it. Most people choose Waterlox.

The customer wanted some butcher block counters installed behind the bar. She found the cheapest ones available and had another guy install them. The other guy and myself told her they needed a finish. She thought the oil from IKEA was the product they recommended.

The thing crowned in a few days, like i've never seen with a wood top. I'm not sure if she used the oil or not. It doesn't matter in my opinion; that is some lousy wood.

The following link is to a project covering laminate countertops with 1/4" plywood. I hate my purple chipped laminate countertops, so I wondered if this could work.
If not, my 2nd theoretical soludtion was to get thicker plywood (3/4"?), hopefully in maple or walnut veneer and use it as a countertop (removing the purple laminate first). For either option, I planned to use solid plank edge boards.

Do either of these sound like viable options? Or do you have other economical ideas? I love the look of wood & hate our current chipped laminate, but my husband doesn't think we should put money into replacing counters in a mobile home we'll likely sell in 2-5 years. Ikea may be an option, too, if the others don't work...but not until fall, when the Denver store is scheduled to open.

If I were you, I'd look at installing some post-formed countertops, as long as they fit your application.