John Boos is well known for quality tops. Look at a local restaurant supply house for ordering. Michigan Maple is another well regarded manufacturer. You can look on their website for a local distributor. Craft Art is a manufacturer/retailer, and also known for their high quality and the number of different woods in which they can create countertops. Zebrawood end grain. Here is a link that might be useful: Craft Art

You've gotten good advice! I applied 2 coats of Waterlox Original to the underside of the Ikea slabs before they were cut to size. (A carpenter was cutting and installing them and I didn't want to have to move them afterwards.) I tried every application method I could think of - old t-shirt, foam brush, lambswool applicator, brush, etc. The foam brush (a wider one, 2" or so) worked best for me. Use a new brush for each coat. Do let it dry well in between coats, and be generous with the first few as it will be absorbed into the wood. You're going to want lots and lots of coats around the sink area - and probably a vapor barrier between the dishwasher and the underside of the butcher block. I ended up applying 2 coats of Original to the bottoms, then 3 coats of Original and 4 coats of Satin for a total of 7 on the tops and sides. I'd suggest more at the sink. Good luck - the Waterlox will make it look rich and honey colored!

Yes.. it is resolved, they gave me some money back. They promised they will start supplying all solid wood all through since my incident. You should be able to buy with confidence now. It's not veneer in the sense that it is 1/64" thin, the maple is 1/4" with 1" oak in betweem. It's still very durable. I havn't had a problem with it so far. Not that I need to talk about my fix anymore because no one else should encounter this now. It is important you use the butcherblock right away because I waited a bit too long and the store manager was being difficult with me. It took combined effort of the GW "angry mob" until I got a call from their corporate guy :) BTW love my wood counter top, the "sound" especially. This one island counter I created from the LL BB, if I didn't tell, you wouldn't know there is oak inside.

I would love to see how it turned out. We're doing a very similar renovation. So far our walls are alabaster and we've only purchased lower cabinets. I painted them Mindful Gray (BM). We just purchased our counter tops yesterday and they are unfinished butcher block. So now I'm panicking on what stain to use on them (our floors are Allen + Roth Russet Oak Laminate). I don't want the floors & counter tops to be too matchy and I'm considering just oiling them without staining. So many decisions!