The oil bleeding through papers is totally normal! That's what happens with oil and is why I ended up going with Waterlox Satin. I did like the idea of oiling but we sit at our island and others on the forum who have used oil mentioned issues with papers, etc. That said others love using oil. Also, you should keep reapplying the oil regularly so I don't think you should be trying to get rid of it as it is something the wood will need. HTH P.S.- IF you ever wanted to use Waterlox or another finish you 'd have to sand down all the oil first and get rid of all traces of it. (I'm no expert so perhaps with some finishes it's not so much of an issue) sara the brit- Is the Rockler's an actual oil or a finish? I'd assume if it's an oil it would bleed through on paper, etc.

I have an thick end-grain square butcherblock that sits next to the sink and is the non-meat cutting/chopping worksurface we use on an almost daily basis. It gets wiped off several times and then gets a more vigorous cleaning at the end. I have another thinner board I use for cutting meat that is easier to scrub clean in the sink. When I first got the block I drenched it in pure tung oil thinned with citrus solvent. Let it soak in. Put more on. Repeat, repeat. Let it dry until it didn't smell. What happens over time is that the center area where I work the most starts to look "dry" like untreated wood. There's enough tung oil in it that I don't worry about it drying out or splitting but aesthetically it looks like a well-used block. Maybe twice a year I apply a coat of thinned tung oil over the whole thing to keep it sealed. I much prefer the soaked-in protection that the tung oil gives than the surface protection that frequently-applied mineral oil does. So to me there are two considerations: how well sealed is it to protect it from splitting and how does it look. The tung oil will give the best long-term protection but if you use it it will look used. If you want it to look "wet", then mineral oil and/or wax will give that look on the surface.

I'm also wondering why not Maple? Traditionally, butcher blocks (Like this one) were made of maple and the block was set up so that your working surface was the end-grain which took the chopping. End grain on any type of wood will take the cutting punishment better than edge or face grain. Cherry is soft and Red Oak's grain is too open for this. Even with Tung or Mineral oil sealing it. You want a wood that has a closed grain like Maple. White Oak is certainly more closed grain and more durable than Red Oak but is not cheap. Your contractor is probably specifying Red Oak if price is a factor. If you're using it only for dining and not for cutting on, Cherry will be OK. Define "food Prep", if you're actually cutting on it, the edge-grain cherry will be marked up in no time.

@GreenDesigns Could be with Grothouse, but last I checked about a month ago, they still advertised for business on their website directly to consumers. You'll generally find a bit lower pricing ordering from a local butcherblock company due partly to shipping fees.