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Work surface is where you wash your dishes or make your food which ends in your body so it looks like a simple function, but is really an important one. Forget to clean it and you’ll soon have to clean a fair bit more elsewhere...
If we are talking analogy- you do not need to have a shower every day or wash your hair weekly or more either. After a certain period your body will take care of itself and your skin and hair will be just fine. But you do it because it feels nice and smells nice and ....
Wood is similar to an extent. It can be left outside without any protection if a certain type, but if not it will rot and perish quickly.
This thread is called DIY, so the clue is in the name. If not prepared to do it than simply swap for something more durable, but as OP want to keep it the only choice is to maintain to a good standard. No other way I’m afraid.
Wood does look good in the kitchen BTW. Just not good for restaurant one. But even there it takes a team of people to clean and buff it every single day. I know as have worked in one and boy did we scrub and scrub and scrub again till our fingers hurt.
And when comparing cars or bikes, when buying used it quickly shows how it was maintained and value is adjusted accordingly.
Maybe I’m a bit harsh, maybe the OP does not own the property and does not need a hassle of repair and maintenance, but owing a house means having to deal with that too I’m afraid.
The damage is reparable and can be made look good again, but no point if won’t bother with a little elbow grease. At least he has a choice.
Foreigner65-
I should point out, I don’t want to keep it but there’s no point changing it until we do the whole kitchen. What I do want to do is cut out the rot, re-seal it with something impervious to water, install a nice big stainless sink/drainer that will contain most splashes and most importantly stop water going down the back and into the wall.
Not sure whether to just go wild with the silicone sealant or pull the trim off (inevitably making a big mess) and start again.
Dramatic_Hammer
None of your examples are analogous.
My car won't leak if I don't wax it. I wouldn't respray it every year.
I ride a bike so little that I barely maintain it. However, I do change the oil and service the brakes, charge the battery, etc. on my motorbike regularly. The oil is done possibly more often than necessary.
However, as far as I can see a work surface has two pretty simple jobs and cannot be compared with a complex engine.