I have walnut blended edge Boos Block in my laundry room and LOVE it! I purchased it with the 'varnique' finish and it is beautiful - smooth as satin without being shiny. I also have a walnut blended end grain cutting board from them. It's about 24x18 and I use it in my kitchen. It is not finished with their varnique, of course, since it is for food use. Because of that, it is quite rough and a bit difficult to clean after using. Boos has an outlet store in Effingham IL and I made arrangements to purchase and pick up my pieces there. Norbert, who runs the outlet, is TKO so he was a blast to work with! And what a nice guy! I would recommend calling him at 217-347-7790 to speak with him directly about your needs. Please tell him that Sandy from Indiana, with the worlds most glamorous laundry room, sent you. : ) Sandy

Yes, we just put in a walnut butcher block top on our island. We have been actively using it since just before Christmas. Like you, we want our butcherblock to be a real working surface. We cut everything except meat on it constantly. So far it is no worse for the wear, which has really surprised me. Every few weeks, I rub some food safe oil into it. That's it, no other special treatment. We love the look of the dark wood, and have been very happy with it. I think there are a few more pictures of the island under the thread I started when we finished it all -just search under bestyears. Good luck!

Hi Dmildenb, Thank you for choosing Neolith, we know you will be happy with the outcome! Sounds like a great combination. If you have any questions, please let us know. Thanks

Thanks Patricia! These are my inspiration photos for shelves and butcher block end......https://www.pinterest.com/pin/36099234497077334/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/36099234497077310/ Countertop https://www.pinterest.com/pin/36099234497077335/ Cabinet Style https://www.pinterest.com/pin/36099234497077330/ We just started installation process. I'll send pics of the kitchen view. I can still make tweaks with shelves and counters if I like. I may have enough space to put in the middle...like a 2 feet by 4 pastry island....however I will make that decision later. Since induction is on peninsula I wanted to add butcher block for prep.....however I could just continue the countertop and get a nice butcher block on top of it. The peninsula is about 9 feet long and 3 feet wide. We have cabinets on both sides....cabinets within kitchen are 24 inches deep and cabinets on other side of peninsula are 12 inches deep. I would love any input you have....I was thinking wood shelves would look too busy with dark countertops...but I'm no designer:) Thank You