Reply #4: I've lived with oak butcher block counters

[Warpy]

and they were scarred when I got them. Even with the scarring, they looked nice, but I still used a cutting board, trivets, and every other protective device I used with laminate or linoleum or varnished plywood or contact paper or any other surface I'd ever coped with. In other words, if you want to keep them nice, be prepared to protect them.

The scratches were minimized when I oiled the whole business frequently, and under my care they started to look pretty good. I would never justify the expense in my own kitchen, though, and will probably continue to stick with cheap and dirty and easy to swap out laminate until the bitter end.

Those counters will look nice, though.