Giggling as I type since I just wrote a response to you about Internet orders. We had purchased the present home having hickory countertops , granite on the sides of the Viking stove and granite as the back splash and a stain steel back splash in the rear of the gas range. The previous home owners had an under mount double sink along the L counter top and a bar sink on the wood island. Their kitchen designer had left wood trim between the double sink. Big Mistake! Huge Mistake! This wood strip was rotted . The island sink also had severe water damage near the faucet. I contacted local wood craftsman to see if I could just replace the hickory L shaped counter . I had to at first identify my wood species since my intention was to replace only one section of wood. The kitchen has / had three areas of wood so I had to match it. I sent photos to the local forestry college and two wood kitchen designers. I have reclaimed hickory . The cost from a Westchester dealer was eight grand . I did not even factor in travel time and distance since I live in eastern Ct. A New Jersey based wood dealer quoted me 15 grand to repair the L shaped wood counter. My hopes on the local wood craftsman was squashed when he emailed me saying he had no interest in reconstructing a partial counter. I love wood. I love when a kitchen has character so the two colored cabinets and the mixed counter tops appeal to me. I have owned seven homes so renovations have become ......... easy. Oh I curse, I cry, I yell but I know to mull things over and wait until I smile. When I know it will work I am at peace . I love reading the kitchen board cause it helps me process my renovation whether it is the bathroom, kitchen or even the chicken coop. Yes, the chicken coop. I approach all the home issues as function, design and cost. If the cost is too much I retweak the function or design . If I find that the cost is still too high I wait. Since water is wood's worst neighbor have you considered a soapstone sink with a dish extension. I do not know the technical terms but I imagine you extending the area around the soapstone sink so water puddles will be on the stone. I have seen the stainless steel sinks also with the sink having a extension of SS around the sink. I can not add links showing my design suggestions since I am IT stumped. If you go in with the mindset " oh I will always wipe water off the wood" you will go bonkers when your guests help in the kitchen. You need to waterproof the wood. Make sure it is a hard durable wood. I love my hickory. I just could not afford the repair bill so soapstone was installed . I am frozen from walking the dogs . Maybe when I thaw out I will post a picture of my damaged wood sink . Hope this helps

I'm sure others will have more scientific answers for you, but I had butcher block on my prep counter for 8 years in my last house and am putting a big block in on it in the "in progress" kitchen. Yes, you can cut on it. That is...unless you're expecting it to stay pristine, with no knife marks. Yes, you can roll out bread and pastry...before I got stone counters, it's where I did all my work. But there's no doubt that stone is a better surface for doughs of all sorts. Yes, it stains and burns. Beet, red cabbage, strawberry juice will all stain it if not mopped up quickly and sometimes even if they are. Water left on it for a long time (like the vaporization under a hot pot lid left overnight) will leave a black ring. You can, however, minimize the likelihood of damage by keeping butcherblock well oiled and mopping up frequently. And if it gets too bad, it can be removed and sanded down to a nice new clean surface or even sanded in place. As for sealing it, use oil...food grade mineral oil, not linseed oil, pretty much the same stuff you'd use on soapstone. I have a friend who renovated her kitchen at the same time I did my previous one, and she also put butcherblock on some of her counters. But hers are finished like cabinets or furniture and she doesn't work on them, but uses another cutting board on top of them. After 8 years, hers still look beautiful. Mine did too. But hers had the beauty of a 30ish Hollywood sit-com actress. Mine had the beauty of Lauren Bacall...well lived in and well-loved. Mine is a working kitchen and I treat my butcherblock counter exactly as I would any portable butcherblock cutting board. I cut everything on it, including raw meats and poultry, though some experts will tell you raw meat and poultry should always be prepared on a separate, nonporous surface than veggies and foods that won't be cooked. I've always used my butcherblock and no one in my family has ever gotten salmonella or other food-borne illness. I just wipe it down well with a hot soapy clean barmop. But I'm one of those that thinks too much protection is as bad as too little...we never develop immunities. hope this helps

I work for a large wood countertop manufacturer (company name being eliminated so this won't be an advertisement). About 40-50% of all our wood tops have sink cutouts in them. This is very common and to my knowledge, we've never had one claim/return for product failure. I hope I can address your issues you've raised and provide answers from our perspective: Your Question #1. End vs. Edge grain. We have always used end grain butcher blocks, as my understanding is they are better for your knives (don;t dull them as quickly, etc.) However, end grain is usually thicker, and I am not sure if they can accommodate a sink. Our comments on this question: End grain is indeed easier on knives (vs. end or plank). The key issue to remember is that once you select wood, your knives are already grateful...the improvement is marginal in the bigger picture. End grain can certainly accommodate a sink and that shouldn't be a concern. Your Question #2. Water and food safe finishes. The company I have been dealing with prefers to use a non-food safe finish on an edge grain counter if there is going to be a sink, since they do not recommend using other finishes if the counter is going to be exposed to water (rot, warping, etc.). Our comments on this question: The company you are dealing with seems smart in that they understand the need to provide a moisture-resistant finish. There ARE food-safe finishes (we use a food-safe tung-oil finish). This finish is our #1 selling finish and absolutely stands up to moisture. Depending on the type and amount of use on your wood top, you will need to have the finish re-applied every 3-5 years; this is best done by a professional. The key items you need to follow are: 1)ensure that a tung oil or permanent finish (e.g., polyurethane) is applied to the sink cutout section and all unexposed wood areas and 2) ensure that your installer is experienced with wood tops and knows how to produce a perfect seal to keep water out. If these two items are followed, you'll have a wood top you'll love for many years to come.

I'm not familiar with Sheldon Slate - is this a natural slate or a ceramic look alike. We have natural slate in our foyer and love it - but it does tend to flake. We knew that before installing it since we had it in a previous home. There are quite a few posts on walnut and butcher block counters on the kitchen forum - you might want to check the search function at the bottom. This post was edited by maire_cate on Sun, Aug 31, 14 at 19:43