I much prefer wood counter tops as they are softer on your glass ware wine glasses etc so much less chipping and also sound wise when you put stuff down its not as loud, as for stains surprisingly they are pretty good provided they have the right finish as sarahhomeremodel say's there are a few options for the finish my favorite is an eco product called Osmo designed as a flooring finish its a food friendly Wax Oil blend that works very well. as with any countertop don't let liquids sit on them for long periods just in case.
And ive seen stone countertops stain from oils and wine too.
I love Walnut!

Sarah was dead on. Perfect answer!

Thanks. Y'all have beautiful designs. I just became a follower. I actually work for the company who made my wood countertops (we do what I lovingly call "weird surfaces" like wood countertops, stainless steel, copper, bronze, glass etc.) so I love getting to answer questions about them in particular. They are the only things I feel confident throwing my two cents at! : )

Well thank you Sarah & John and all.......
I like wood; black walnut is one of the prettiest. My husband has a thing for black walnut besides. I will throw that into the mix based on your comments. Thank you!!

Someone mentioned OSMO, a product we love and use every day. They make a few different kinds of finish and the one you want would be TOP OIL #3058. This is the food grade version of the 3054 Polyx hardwax oil.

We are having a black walnut kitchen countertop made and are testing Waterlox vs straight tung oil. They both seem equally water and stain proof. I prefer the pure tung oil because its finish is much lower luster than the satin Waterlox. Does anyone have a comments about one vs the other?

I think the tung oil would be best as its worked for hundreds of years and can be re coated if it ever gets dull not sure if you can do that with the satin waterlox... but im just a fan of oldschool finishes

I realize this is a very old thread but was directed towards it by someone answering my question on sealing our custom tiger oak breakfast bar. It is currently awaiting stain/sealer and we are so nervous about picking the right stuff. My husband found Howard's butcher block conditioner (food grade mineral oil and natural waxes) and we plan to test it on some scrap wood first. I've read tons of great reviews on people using it for countertops, but thought I'd ask you all if you've heard of it. We are mostly using the countertop as a kitchen table, so no plans for food prep directly on it...but will have many meals and drinks on it. However, this sounded like the safest way to protect it. I've read mixed reviews about tung oil and a few different products but am in no way sold on anything just yet. (Also, does anyone know if we can use a minwax stain on it before sealing with the conditioner? Or is the conditioner only to be applied directly on bare wood? We want to stain it slightly darker but afraid using the wrong sealant might discolor it somehow). My husband and a friend spent weeks custom-making this 10' x 3' long bar so as you can imagine, we are very concerned about doing this right!!