Just a thought....could you do butcherblock on the island and then be able to use what you really want for the rest of the kitchen counters?

I did think about that, but I found oak butcher block to be just as expensive and it’s not heat resistant.

Laminate is not heat resistant either. Reconsider this choice.

Have you looked at granite there some very affordable ones and IMO a much better choice for kitchens get polished and pretty close to bullet proof hot pots and all. Ikea has some very affordable wood counters

Both Wilson Art and Formica make beautiful laminate counters. I'm sure they have the white with gray. That is a commonly used counter top. They show all they make on their website. If you never had laminate you will find they are work horses. My last house the counters were 24 years old and looked almost like new. They don't crack, stain or chip like stone. The only thing you can't do is set hot pots on them or cut on them. But you can't do that on a lot of counters.

And don't let water sit on a seam (on laminate counters). Water will swell the wood fiber inside and it will not shrink back.