Youre not changing the color after you oil it. That’s down deep in the pores. .

prefer what you have. the initial oiling requires up to about 5 successive treatments of oil over a few weeks or month or so. then repeat as needed every 6 mo or yearly etc. If you do as advised in this way you will note some darkening..or a "richer " look anyway. its a great top I'd leave it. the whitewashed top you show doesnt seem preferable in any way..in fact I dont care for it really.

Alaska's Best Kitchens - First Place Kitchen · More Info

Custom Built-In Knife block on Butcher Block Work Island · More Info

Kitchen · More Info

Are there other oils to apply besides mineral oil?

Re other oils I've always kept the John Boos block oil on hand for the table top and other wood things in kitchen. it contains a few different oils I believe... I like it..you can search and find a few different ones from wood workers around the country etc.

It can be sanded down to the raw wood then a product like Rubio Monocoat used. Read up on it on their website. It should work for you if not used as a cutting board. Small sample bottles can be purchased to test out the colors. I’ve used on a wood counter next to my kitchen sink and is preforming nicely.

I probably will end up living with it. Hooefully I will get used to it. I wonder if I would have liked a different wood better (maybe white oak). Maybe someday I can replace it.

The oil darkens and yellows it. If you only did one coat of oil it will eventually lighten again. then you should be able to sand lightly and coat with something that won't darken the colour like Rubio suggested above.

I have maple counters on my island at our city house and also at our cottage. I want ours darker and more golden, but as said above, they are not easy to stain.

IMO sealing wood is never a good choice since wood has an enzyme that kills bactria thus the reason there are 100 yr old butcher blocks in delis in Europe and people were not dying from the meat cut on those blocks for the last 100+ yrs. I do not see pics of your kitchen so very hard to comment on your issue. This is the kitchen in our last house and I loved those counters I ran a catering biz from that kitchen and those counters took a beating and a lightsanding and a good oiling brought them back to new .

2 products were mentioned. I'm curious because I might consider butcher block, and there are options in wood - which to choose? Ikea?

@everdebz I have John Boos stained walnut butcher block on my island. I just treat it John Boos oil every few months. I don't use it for food prep but everything else and it is still beautiful 9 years later

this pic you posted is actually Rubberwood and not maple
and since it was for a desk area, they didn't use food safe products to stain it.

if you're using it for food prep, you want food safe products.

on this one (not sure of the wood, could be maple or something close) she bought them from Ikea and did the whitewash w/food safe products. Try DIYing it

https://thediymommy.com/whitewash-and-seal-a-butcher-block-counter-top/

this is a homemade maple butcherblock, but they talk about the whitewash

https://www.danslelakehouse.com/2014/04/kitchen-progress-our-diy-solid-wood.html

what about using wood bleach on it? i am seeing some examples online that i like. i think the antique butcher block below was bleached.

you have to consider the species of wood.

some species are better suited to bleaching (like walnut or oak) than others.

Bleaching lightens dark, natural wood. maple is already light. bleaching something like that would be for removing stains or some other damage.

did you read the first link I posted? she shows you exactly how to whitewash it w/food safe items.

Watco or Waterlox may have products that will darken it.

If it’s on an island, sell it and get what you want. Lots of people will want that slab of maple.