Hi. I am putting a hard rock maple countertop in my deli. I found what
seems to be a good supplier that has good prices for unfinished 1.5"
countertops. I had a couple of questions/comments if anybody cares to lend
a hand.

First, here are the dimensions of what I need:

- 36" x 15 ft.
- 36" x 5 ft.
- 24" or 25" x 4 ft.
- 12" x 14 ft.
- 12" x 11' 8"

1. Can anybody recommend (email?) someone who makes quality counters at a
good price?
2. Only the 36" x 15 ft. piece is going to have food contact, so I was going
to use mineral oil for that one. The others are either for checkout or for
customer seating and I though I'd use a poly or other nice finish. Any
comment?
3. Should I seal the end grain with paint or other? Some of the end grains
will be visible, so I'd like to use something that is durable and looks OK,
like maybe a clear sealer.
4. Some of these pieces will be joined together in an L shape. I was
thinking of putting L shaped plywood down first, and then laying the two
pieces on top of that. Then I could drill into each piece from underneath
the plywood. I'm not sure if this will give me the best, most seamless fit
(probably not). Any suggestions here?

Thanks for any help,
dwhite