Hey Bob, The counter is a stained and sealed butcher block that was provided through Sims Lohman. If you message me I can shoot you their contact information to determine who was the formal supplier. Butcher block counters do take abuse, and will definitely distress over time (although some would call those beauty marks). No issues around the sink per-say, as long as you are sealing yearly or bi-yearly. If it gets to a point where you aren't satisfied with the finish though, you can simply sand it down to remove the markings, and re-stain and seal to achieve a new looking finish. Hope that helps!