I think it matters more if you like the busier look or not. What wood are you considering? We did our island using a walnut butcher block from Hardwood Lumber Company out of Tx.

I love it, lots.

Thx. I think Walnut (especially if using the kind that is more mixed in heartwood / sapwood) will be busier than other species, and then if they are finger joining boards together you'll get even more variegation. I think I might like the busier look you can get inherently with Walnut, I'm not sure I like the additional busier look you get if they are joining shorter pieces together to get planks. It almost looks to me like Perfect Plank is cobbling together longer pieces from scraps before doing glue-up exposing the edge grain where the finger joints are visible -- and the end result is a matter of preference. To be clear, I honestly don't know what I prefer. Perfect Plank's seems to be quite a bit cheaper than others, so that can't be a coincidence?

Hardwood Lumber out of... TX or Ohio? I've also got quotes going w/ HL (out of Ohio). Impressed by their responsiveness so far.

Jonnygun, can you post a pic of your countertop? I am in the process of deciding!!! Thanks

I ended up going with Hardwood as well. 1 3/4" thick (so a little beefier than standard counters) because I didn't want to overpower the island. White oak. Looks great (using mineral oil only) with white oak oil finish floors. The contrast vs flooring in this photo is magnified because of the pendants and skylight overlighting the island itself. {cannot upload photo successfully right now, will try to do later}

if you can still post that pic, it would be appreciated...

Here's Perfect Plank Alder, unstained but sealed with a lot of Waterlox. It wuold be less obvious with a darker wood species or stained.

Daylight view

I ended up going with a local company - http://treeline.la/tabletops/
The reclaimed look works well in my space (although they do offer walnut). Most of all, I wanted to see the product in person. I'm so glad I waited and ordered from them... the prices are excellent and craftsmanship looks excellent.

We've had our butcher block top on our island for several years now. We got it from hardwood lumber in Ohio and we love it. We plan to use them again in our new build.

The finger joints would bother me I think... And also how short the planks are make it look a bit busy.

It's all about managing budget and visibility. I think for an island in particular that's a tough place to have finger joints. Laundry room, office, TV room, workbench all would have a higher tolerance (though laundry room you'd need to seal pretty good if you have your wits about you). Workbench you want the patina of wear and use.

Finger-joints definitely have pro's and con's and, like many people on this thread have mentioned, it's just a matter of preference.

On one hand, if you can find the material you're looking for in the longer lengths, without natural defects, and for a reasonable price; that's definitely a great solution! As long as the wood isn't stubborn and or naturally prone to twisting and turning, there's no reason why that board won't endure for years and years to come.

On the other hand, Finger-jointed material actually makes the end product stronger and more stable due to reduced stress in the grain. Also, for trees that just don't grow tall enough to supply material for that 16ft bar top you've always wanted, Finger-jointed wood to the rescue!

https://www.perfectplank.com/questionsanswered.html#FAQFingerjoint

I know they also offer Non-Finger-jointed material too up to 8ft in length in Maple and Mahogany!