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.

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

Yes, you should be concerned over the long term. Water will take its toll over time, not just on the wood, but on the glue that holds bb together. If you are considering this you might want to use marine varnish around the faucet cut outs especially. I can't post images right now, but one of my faves is of a maple butcher block island with a soapstone sink AND sink surround. How would you feel about having a bit of stainless surrounding your stainless farmhouse sink, about a foot on each side, then transitioning into bb? That surround will save you from a ton of maintenance and decay over time.

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!