Also, for those who hadn't been following my progression in this whole mental debate, we have 3 kids (9, 5, 5) and will be homeschooling next year and plan to use this island A LOT for both meals and schoolwork (including craft projects). I'd specifically like to know whether a wood countertop, if properly sealed, would fair well and how easily scratched it would get.

In my mind, I'm thinking it would be the same as a kitchen tabletop, which would certainly take a lot of abuse from most families.

Stacy--Here's an ongoing thread started about a year ago with 54 posts going all the way through to earlier this month on the same subject of showimg off wood countertops. If you run a search first, you'll find many, many pictures of wood counters.

Personally, I love mine!

Here is a link that might be useful: Please post pics of your wood countertop

Here's an older thread about wood countertops and kids.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wood countertops with kids?

A thread I started this month for those of us with wood counters to discuss how they are holding up after some time in the kitchen.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wood counters--IRL usage data

I love our antique pine island

Also have new pine on the coffee station - in hallway between kitchen and laundry room. Either side of range, pine hutch and laundry room are Golden Leaf granite.

Here is a link that might be useful: my kitchen

So far - it's been over a month - no problems.

That's alder from Perfect Plank with multiple coats of Waterlox.

Yes, there are some scuffed areas, and a couple of scratches where a cat used it as a launch pad ... but they rubbed out.

I have a walnut island. It is very pretty and I get a lot of compliments on it. I think it would be great for meals and schoolwork. We use ours for meals and homework...except we have to put down place mats for the homework. We used the mineral oil finish...which looks great and is food safe, but if you leave paper on it for a while, it gets oil marks. So I would use waterlox if I were doing it again.
Here it is...

Thanks, breezygirl...you're always a wealth of info and have a great memory (I can't remember what I did last week....lol)

Allison, your island is to die for.....so pretty!

lazygirl, thanks for sharing....how big is your wood countertop?

nini, I've been admiring your wood countertop for a while through other threads. It is gorgeous and is exactly what I'd try to emulate if we go this route. Would you mind sharing your cabinet color and floor color as well? (I'm sure I could find it by searching, but I'm being lazy today.) Your entire kitchen is stunning!

hey Stacy, thanks! The cabinet color is SW Extra White, and the floors were stained with a custom mix...75% Jacobean and 25% Walnut.

Stacy - The one in the picture is about 5 feet long x 30 inches wide.

If the contractor and I can ever get our schedules aligned, he'll be doing the sink run (9 feet x 27 inches) and the work area that's next to it (2-levels, 8 feet x 40 inches)

But he had to leave town, then I had to leave town and then we were both sick ... maybe this week it will happen.