Don not stain the cutting board portion of your counter top at all. For the rest of the counter top you can put any stain you want on it. Finish is with Watco Butcher Block oil. Its a mix of Mineral Oil, Tung Oil and lindseed and leaves a Varniq finish that is safe for indirect food contact. There are a few others on the market like Durakryl-102, Emmitts Elixr and The Good Stuff. They are all safe for indirect food contact. Safe to cut on too just not recommended for heavy chopping. For more info see the link below. Here is a link that might be useful: The Butcher Block Top

Thanks for the TopKnob # and the mention of the offset drain. Will keep that in mind for my own since I would prefer to have a small trash container under my sink if possible. I have to tell you it's really inspiring to see small kitchens done so well. Function plus style. I have a small kitchen compared to most I see on GW. Restricted by one wall taken up by a nook and windows and limited options for where the appliances can go. I contemplate swapping my kitchen with our typically unused dining room. It would make one big space, but so far no design is a home run. I keep coming back to how efficient it is to work in my step saving kitchen. Sure a swap would make it a showstopper and it would be functional, but not more functional and is it worth jackhammering my foundation and who knows what else to reroute everything? Is it worth the time, hassle and $? Would that $ be better spent updating my patio and backyard landscaping since here in S CA we entertain more outside? I struggle with the choice. I know that sounds so dramatic, me and my first world "problems". Ridiculous. Too many choices. I just want a little style to go with my function and it's kitchens like yours that remind me style can come in small packages!

The properties of warping of wood have been thoroughly studied and understood scientifically. Casual observations relating warping to finish (or lack thereof) are faulty. My mother had a butcherblock portion of counter for over 30 years, never oiled or finished anywhere, that never warped. I've had boards that warped and others that didn't, some finished, some unfinished, some partly finished. It's not the finish. Wood tabletops, countertops, decks, etc. are exposed to more water on the top than the bottom, causing the top to swell and try to expand. But the wood's thickness remains stable and prevents this. The cells of wood on the top of the board become compressed from their original cylindrical shape (like a soda straw) into an oval shape. As it dries out, the wood cells do not fully regain their original shape, so the top shrinks, pulling the board concave. This is called "compression shrinkage." Therefore, finishing the bottom of a tabletop or countertop will not prevent warping. Warping will always be cupping of the top due to swelling from wetness of the top and subsequent compression shrinkage. If lack of finish on the bottom caused warping, you would see the tabletop bow, not cup -- but this never happens. Or think about it another way: what liquid is going to soak into the bottom of your installed butcherblock counter, that a finish is going to block? It's not going to happen. And no finish blocks water vapor (from humidity in the air), only slows it a little bit, so this would make no difference in protection either. So if you want a tabletop or countertop not to cup over time, there are two things to consider. The most important factor is the quality of wood making up the butcherblock: the size and shape of the wood cells, their density, how the wood was cut in relation to the growth rings, and how it was dried. Butcherblock made up of dense, old-growth, quartersawn boards slowly air dried is going to hold its shape (even when totally unfinished), while strips of young, low-density, plainsawn boards are going to warp easily. Second, keep the top as dry as possible. Don't let liquids soak into it, or use a water-resistant film finish if you expect liquid exposure. It's not the finish on the bottom, it's how dry you can keep the top, that helps prevent cupping.

I think I have the solution. 1. Go to Sally's beauty supply and purchase hair bleach. 2. Purchase the highest developer 20 volume 30 volume 40 volume , 40 volume being the best 3. Mix the 2 ingredients together to for a paste. 4. Spray the area of stain on butcherblock with water, then paint on bleach paste. 5. Place tin foil over the paste and let it sit. 6. Check every 15 minutes to see how it lifts. Keep doing this every hours. 7. If you need lighter the make new formula and repeat. We do this in the salon when the stylist chairs get color on them. It removes the color stain really well. Dont be afraid to try. Your just trying to lift the dark part....