The other day, when  I was in a furniture store, I noticed that they had finished slabs of wood for sale.  There were Oak, Walnut, Pine and Mahogany slabs and each was selling for several thousand dollars.   Since they still had the bark attached, they took on a rustic appearance.

I wondered what they were used for and concluded that maybe they were used for custom counter tops.   Given the price tag, they were much more expensive than granite.  But, they were  definitely different so I guess they were worth the money.