I have one wooden counter, of Ikea butcher block. It's more of a "putting down" spot, than a work spot, but after 6 coats of Salad Bowl Finish, I've never oiled it again. Going on two years now. My sister has all wooden counters in her kitchen (even at the sink) - they look fabulous. They used linseed oil, and did 8 coats. She told me she's never needed to re-oil them in 2 years, and I know they get pretty hard treatment. Incidentally, having spent some time looking at photos of properties in the UK recently (another story), I see that wood counters are really popular there, and they look great.

I don't know about using two different materials for top and bottom, but Ikea's oil that they sell for this dries fast (I did my second coat after a couple of hrs but probably could have done it earlier). Shellac may not have the same water resistance. Don't forget that you won't have access to the back +/- side edges after it's installed.

Lake Girl - I know completely contradictory advice isn't helpful, but I too wasn't going to comment until I saw the pictures, saw how the wood on the island was perpendicular to the floor and felt overwhelmed with the urge to tell you how much I *liked* that! Dunno if diametrically opposed views cancel one another out; probably. Sorry! I guess you just have to reach down inside of yourself and pull out your own opinion on the matter. I like wood; I *love* the visible 'graininess' of yours. Absolutely love it. I am feeling sad I didn't think about doing what sw_in_austin did patching some in along a run .... actually .... it's not too late maybe; I could do it? Anyway - your thread! Your kitchen; your opinion, ultimately. But at least some of us like it explicitly for all its "woodiness".

I too thought we could only use oil on our wood countertops, but after a few months I got really tired of doing it, it was a messy gross procedure, and it never really looked good. We don't cut on the countertops either, but I still didn't want a polyurethane or something toxic. I did want something that didn't require so much maintenance. So we sanded the tops down to get rid of the oil, applied mineral spirits, and decided to Waterlox them. OMG, what a difference. I love the way they look and feel now. They've held up great, even around the sink. Waterlox is a tung-oil finish, but it doesn't need to be renewed monthly or built-up over time like mineral oil, so it's really not like "oiling the countertops." We used the Waterlox Original, which has a semi-gloss finish, but they do sell a satin finish as well (see the Products page at the link below). You probably don't want the marine or "bar-top" finish for your kitchen - brings to mind those awful super shiny tables in the restaurants in Florida I remember from my youth - you know with ropes and shells embedded in them. :-) Anyway, you can recoat without sanding, and it is super-easy to apply. It dries to a hard finish, and water beads up on it. Here are some photos. This was after just one coat. They recommend 3-4 coats. Tung oil is non-toxic, but it is made from nuts, so be cautious if you have someone allergic to nuts in your household. Here is a link that might be useful: Waterlox