I have wood counters on my island and love them. I was worried about wear and tear, until I stayed at a little boutique hotel on the North Fork of Long Island. Their bar and breakfast area had wood countertops that had been dinged and nicked over time, and looked wonderful. When I realized that the surface gets character over time, not damage, I was all in. I love the beauty of wood, and more than anything I enjoy the fact that it is not stark and cold to the touch like a stone counter. To be fair, I have lots of granite counter elsewhere in my kitchen for the heavy duty use, and my island does not get hard abuse. I'm several years into it and it does have a couple of scratches, but I still love it.

I love butcher block. Go for it.

I think two things ... it's not the most sanitary counter top I can think of, and it would need to work with the style of the kitchen and the home.

Like with any kind of countertop, you have to do the maintenance required. Wood will work fine, it will get some wear if you cut on it, but maybe you like that look. This particular top is end grain walnut by Wood Welded, there are many kinds of choices with wood, we also use Grothouse Lumber. There are wood countertop choices for every budget, it's good to know your options!

I ran a catering biz from this kitchen with butcher block counters for 10 yrs IMO they are the most forgiving of all counters if it stains sand it if it looks dry oil it easy pease yto look after and I also love them on islands where my sink was I just oiled more often . Do not seal them they then lose their natural ability to kill bacteria. BTW these were Ikea all wood butcher block super affordable

Not all wood countertops are butcher block. It can be a finished and sealed wood just like a table top (that's what I have) and just as sanitary as your dining room table. Or, if butcher block, actually wood has very good antibiotic properties, hence the recommendation for wood cutting boards over plastic which has no antibiotic protection and thus harbors nastiness in the crevices.

I've done walnut, butcher block, oak all different species and they all turn out fantastic, I have yet a complaint from my clients. It also depends on how you will be using them, will you be using them for hard prep, cutting, etc. then butcher block is the way to go. If you are aware and use cutting boards then a finished wood countertop is for you. Just like stone, there is some maintenance.

Below is a client where we used walnut.

V I V A L D I - The Stone Boutique, Sequoia Brown Leather is a marble, not a quartzite; it scratches easily, thou very beautiful and exclusive,