How careful are you and those you will allow to use the sink?

Oh, yes, I have had personal experience with butcher block around a sink. I'd never do it again. We had butcher block on all our counter tops in our vacation home, and the area around the sink was a total mess. I hated it. When we remodeled, we kept the BB on the island and replaced the perimeter counter tops with dark gray engineered quartz. Much better, but still not perfect. If I had to do it over, I'd use honed Jet Mist granite.

We've had teak counters around our sink for 13 years now. Heavy use. But it's held up really well - I just use a homemade concoction of beeswax and mineral oil, probably quarterly. If you love the look and don't mind that level of upkeep you should do it. Every countertop material has its pros and cons.

Seal the underside and edges as well as the surface. Epoxy the edges at least.

Attempting to upload photos of before and after the wax. Did this just overnight. Bear in mind these counters have been used heavily since 2011, cutting directly on them!

Before waxing (last night):

After (sorry this darn app will not allow text between pics)

the state of the grout and the joint between the cutting board/main counter are another matter. Please don't judge :)

Your teak looks gorgeous, gardengrl. We had run-of-the-mill maple and it didn't have the depth of color yours has. So it depends on the type of wood and how much you want to be taking care of it. Ours was in our vacation home, and I didn't have the time to maintain it. Too busy having fun!

These are my ‘butcher block’ counters in my rental. They’ve only been in since July but have held up perfectly through a dozen renters. I obviously chose a top mount sink since the end grain and the area around the faucet always show the most wear. I was there this week and it still looks great.

You can approximate the look of an undermount sink with a flushmount sink that would be a much better choice for wood counters.

That said, have you really thought this through? Barn wood is presumably reclaimed from the outside of a barn. You have no way of knowing if it was painted with lead paint or what chemicals that wood has seen. Use barn wood for decorative beams or a mantle, but for a counter top it is unhygeinic and would have to be sanded and sealed, at which point it will bear little resemblance to barn wood.

Just because you want wood counters doesn't mean you can’t also mix in materials that are impervious to water in your sink surround. Good luck with your materials.

I had wood countertops in 2 kitchens. One was waxed IKEA oak, the other was poly sealed maple. Loved them both and would do it again. Ours never rotted or had any issues. The only extra precaution was making sure the area around the sink was sealed and wiping it down so water wouldn’t sit.

Your pic isn't of butcher block. Is that what you are interested in? I'm guessing it's old growth trees due to how wide the planks are. I don't know about old growth but generally the wider the plank the more likely/easier it is to bow. If you look at solid doors you'll see they are 2-3" wide pieces put together. If you aren't seeing that then it's a veneer. Butcherblock counters are cut to even smaller strips to make sure it'll stay flat.

There is only a little extra maintenance..but to avoid damages that can’t be smoothed or sanded out,AND .. with eventual loss of a completely flat surface..i would go with cutting boards in different sizes and thickness..

stored vertically under a counter where they are easy/handy to reach….

one exception may be a very rustic kitchen where imperfections are expected/even appreciated…

however..around the sink is usually fated to fail at some point..adding that I have experienced these things in a previous homes..one butcher block by the sink ..another an antique butcher block on half the kitchen island..where the stove way’s located

The main plus for butcher block is the cost…much less than other surfaces and cheaper to install

Thank you to everyone for sharing your thoughts and experiences! I have not been able to respond to individual comments like I want. (It’s making me redownload the ap repeatedly so i gave up.) My spouse will not remember to clean up water. I will not mind oil/beeswax regularly. Happy to hear that works if done right. The photo was for attention not the material i am planning to use. I love the idea of putting material near the sink to protect. Will look more into that. Thanks!

Just notice…big difference in barn wood …and butcher block…your picture is not butcher block..and seems extremely expensive ….maybe for a dining tabletop?

They used to have nice butcher block counter tops at IKEA for $100…about 10’ long?

Probably shorter?