bill_vincent: Thanks for the response. The granite is called Azul Platinum and yes it does get slightly darker when it gets wet. Luckily, it returns to the regular color after sometime. What would you recommend cleaning the granite with? What do you think about the Simple Green Stone Cleaner product? Bone dry...will 24 hours be long enough? How does one know when granite is bone dry???

Remember that the Ikea butcherblock is pre-treated with their oil, so if you use an incompatible finish, it won't stick. You'd have to sand them all the way down past the existing oil finish, which might be more work than it's worth. I don't know if they're still selling their Behandla oil -- I mean the linseed-based countertop finish, not the beeswax one they have in the stores now -- but that's what I used and it has held up beautifully. It was sort of a pain to apply, but I haven't had to reapply it. It did not have a strong odor like Waterlox does (I tried a sample of that but couldn't handle the smell). I think the thinner tops have more risk of warping than the thicker ones; I believe that's what they told me at the store when I was buying ours. Still, it sounds as though you've got free countertops (well, already-paid-for countertops), so unless there's something wrong with them, I'd go with them! Just don't put in a tile backsplash yet, if they're thinner than the countertops you intend to install later.

I’d look for either acrylic paint or nail polish in a matching color and lightly fill the scratch.

Great tips and advice. I would like to add, house plants will help filter out polluted air, along with maintaining humidity and adding color to a space as well.