https://www.corian.com/-colors-of-corian-r-

JuneKnow- I did a lot of reading tonight- oil once a month, prone to drying out and cracking if not done properly. Some people have issues with smell and slimy feeling. Water marks. Scorching near gas stoves. Can stain. It just seems a little high maintenance? Am I just reading the horror stories?

@Ann O’Connor We have butcher block on our island and aside from staining it several times when it was installed, we have done nothing (except clean it, of course). I love butcher block, but we had it when I was growing up. I think you need to be ok with marks and etchings. It's not for someone who always wants their kitchen to look brand new.

Also: I have marble counters (I don't find those high maintenance either) but I appreciate the cosmetic changes that happen over time with these natural materials. FWIW

Edited to add that we have had our butcher block for ~2 years. It has a couple pen marks on it, and some etches from silverware (I have 4 kids under 7) but it still looks great.

Oh that’s good to know! Are you really careful to dry it around your sink? I am using marble in our butlers pantry. It would be my first choice in the kitchen too, but I’m a really messy cook and I know it would be an etching nightmare. It wouldn’t bother me as much as my husband. He doesn’t understand the difference between “patina” and “ruined.” LOL

I had butcher block in my kitchen for a number of years. It was fine on the island, which has no sink or stove, and it is still there. However, on the perimeter counter tops I replaced it. It was not practical--the area around the sink became marred, and it just was gross looking where I do most of the prep work. Maybe mine wasn't a great quality, but it was refinished a couple of times and still did not look or wear well.

If I had an island, it would be the perfect solution! We just bought a 1920s colonial with a tiny kitchen and a nice sized butlers pantry. The original plan was to open up the entire space to make a big kitchen, but we had major plumbing problems within hours of moving in. The solution precludes is from taking down the wall. So I’m just redoing the kitchen and butlers pantry separately but with a matching design. It stinks, but on the bright side- we’re keeping the integrity of a historic house. That’s what I keep telling myself. 😂

I love real butcher block counters and have no idea why fake ones would be a good idea. The butcher block in this picture is 17 yrs old I ran a catering biz from that kitchen and oiled the counters when needed a bit more often around the sink area ,Real wood has an enzyme that kills bacteria so do NOT seal the wood just oil it when it looks a bit dry if the marks from hot pots appear a very light sanding and reoiling and it will look like new.You should IMO also used a cutting board with any counter top

Beautiful kitchen! Thanks for the advice.

@Ann O’Connor Yeah, I wouldn't use butcher block around the sink. Our marble was sealed before installation, and it was done well, as all spots seem to evaporate over a day or two (except one or two water spots - I can send a photo if you need - they aren't noticeable because our marble is a light grey with slightly darker veining and the water spot is the same color as the veining). I do try to wipe up water around the sink, but I think I would do that regardless of the countertop material.

We oiled our butcher block several times but otherwise didn't treat it (I was confused about the stain).

Your kitchen and butler's pantry sound awesome - I know it may not feel like modern convenience because other people have expansive kitchens with islands with corbels and various bells and whistles (some might say too much crap...) but I love old kitchens. Butlers pantries are very convenient and hard to come by these days, but if you look at high end shelter magazines, people are starting to build them again! So you are ahead of the curve. Preserving historical parts of a house is (imo) something that should be done if at all possible (although I would never tell someone else not to in their own house of course). But in the long run you may be happy you've kept those details

Ugh sorry for the long rant

I notice that Patricia's sink has an integrated drainboard. I might be able to pull off a butcherblock counter if I had integrated drainboards on both sides and an integrated stainless splash (behind the sink is where I never seem to wipe up well enough).

As for the wood-look Corian, my last kitchen had wood-look laminate from circa 1979. It wasn't convincing. The Corian doesn't look convincing to me, and even if it did it's never going to feel like wood. It will always be a wannabe.

What is your layout like? Could your butler's pantry serve as the clean-up and dish storage part of your kitchen and the rest of it be for cooking and prep? I would love that if the layout is right.

Kitchen in first picture, butlers pantry in next three. These were the photos from the real estate listing. Kitchen is a square, pantry is a rectangle with the wood cabinets on one wall, the sink cabinets opposite, and the shelves are perpendicular and to the left of the walk through to the dining room. If that makes sense. The cabinets on the walk-through wall and with the sink are very narrow. We are keeping and refinishing the wood cabinets, they are deeper, but not as deep as traditional kitchen cabinets. They’re original to the house and I love them. All of the other cabinets will be removed and replaced with custom cabinetry. But we can’t go any deeper than they are.

Wow, love that original cabinetry! That will look awesome! So are there 3 doors in the butlers pantry? One to kitchen, one to DR and ...

Oh, I see that is a window. Not much chance of fitting a dishwasher in there, I guess.

No dishwasher. I wish! There is pluming in it, so it would be possible if I had space. Two doors- one to dr, one to kitchen