I'm having the same dilemma. Wanting to do a 1913 period kitchen just because the rest of the house is almost all original so I thought it would be fun to keep the old theme going. In a very similar house, I saw that the original countertop was a medium-dark to dark countertop...maybe mahogany or cherry or even old-growth fir. It had a heavy polyurethane-looking finish so wasn't used for food prep - and it had an old sink in the middle. This house was actually a mansion (mine isn't - but very similar architecture). If you really want the surface to be for food prep, you'll have to be vigilant about drying up water, they say, because you won't be able to put a heavy duty finish on it. The hybrid finish called Waterlox is supposedly pretty durable and maybe it's food-grade/meant for cutting on? Otherwise, I'd reconsider. Or you could put a polyurethane finish on it but use the sink cut-out wood (oiled for cutting on) as the cutting board and leave it where people will see it and use it? This was a helpful site: http://www.home-style-choices.com/wood-countertops.html

2LittleFishies, how many coats of Waterlox do you have? We have a *lot* (six, I think) and went almost two years before our first noticeable scratch/ding...courtesy of me dropping a bread knife on the counter two days ago. (Luckily, it landed with the dull side; unluckily, it still made a palpable dent in the wood...) We have stoneware dishes that are on there frequently--not sure how they compare to yours but they do not scratch the finish. We did go easy on the counter until it had fully cured--which can take up to 90 days. Were yours just finished before they were installed a few weeks ago? If so, they may well not have cured yet (in which case I would go ahead and put another coat on and let that cure the full time--annoying now but better in the long term). If they cured in the shop, though, that shouldn't have been a huge issue. Wish I had better advice! BTW, we clean ours with 50-50 vinegar/water solution--but I didn't realize that you couldn't use the heavy-duty cleaners, so definitely am taking note! (I might have read that at some point and failed to process it since we use vinegar anyway, but now I'll pay closer attention!)

There is no reason to apply pure tung oil over top of varnish. (In addition to little reason to apply pure tung oil all by itself, IMHO. It is more expensive, more time consuming, more difficult to apply successfully, and if you don't do it right, you have to strip and start over. Nor does it look any different than cheaper, more available, easier to use boiled linseed oil.) (Curing) Oil finishes are generally always soft, offer little moisture protection, and need renewal. You already have a hard film finish with the wipe-on varnish. This is great for an eating area finish. Nearly all finishes are toxic in liquid state and non-toxic in cured state. Just do not use the Formbied surface for cutting (if that's one of the etcs). Cutting will create cuts in the film finish, looking unsightly and allowing moisture to penetrate and will accelerate its demise by flaking. For anyone finding this thread, if you want a good, working butcher block finish, the finish of choice is either no finish or mineral oil. Mineral oil is inert so it will not go rancid like non-curing vegetable oils. If you want, you can shave in 1 part paraffin to 6 parts mineral oil, heat in a double boiler until the paraffin melts, slather it on, let it cool, and scrape off the excess with a plastic scraper. Repeat either treatment as needed, maybe a couple of times a year or less. You can buy "butcher block oil," but this is usually just high priced mineral oil. You can find mineral oil at a drug store or drug department of grocery or discount store, where it's sold as a laxative / stool softener. (Thus it's "non-toxic") Paraffin is also easily found in the canning supply section of stores. Here is a link that might be useful: food safe finishes

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!