Countertop Oil
Penetrating food-safe oil for kitchen worktops, butcher blocks, dining tables, and children’s furniture. WESSLING-tested for direct food contact.
View product detailsWood Surfaces · Solutions
Kitchen & Food-Contact Surfaces
A teak or sheesham worktop earns its daily life in the Indian kitchen — masala prep, hot kadai, turmeric splash, monsoon humidity at 80% RH. The finish documented for that reality is Countertop Oil 280, tested per DIN EN 71-3 and Regulation (EC) 1935/2004.
InteriorSingle Layer1 compatible product
- Turmeric & oil wipe clean
- Breathes through monsoon humidity (no warping)
- EN 71-3 food-contact tested
- Re-oilable forever — no stripping
Find your application
Pick the substrate. We'll show what fits.
Active food prep zone — knife work, chopping, hot pan transfer, daily wash-down. The worktop sees the most mechanical and pigment load in the kitchen. Countertop Oil 280 is the only LEINOS oil EN 71-3 tested for food contact, and its two-coat penetrating system fits the high-load worktop reality: no film to chip, fully re-oilable, breathes through monsoon humidity.
1 compatible productSystem & Substrates
Two-coat penetrating oil. No primer required.
For floors, use LEINOS 290 Interior Hardwax Oil instead.
The Coating System
Primer plus topcoat — the full chain.
Long-term Care
Extends the life of the finish over the years.
Step by Step
How to Apply
Sand the worktop bare
Sand the full top surface and visible edges with P100–P120 abrasive in the grain direction. If the worktop carried lacquer, varnish, PU, or melamine — strip back to bare wood first; oil only bonds to absorbent wood fibre. Check moisture: must be ≤14% (use a pin moisture meter on the underside).
Vacuum and tack-cloth
Vacuum thoroughly, then wipe with a slightly damp lint-free cloth. On a previously used worktop, degrease any cooking-oil rings with a vegetable soap solution and let dry overnight before oiling — residual grease prevents penetration.
First coat — Countertop Oil 280
Stir well. Apply a thin even coat with a brush or white polishing pad along the grain. Cover the top, all visible edges, and the underside near the sink cut-out (these absorb moisture from below). Avoid pooling in joints — wipe excess from corners with a clean rag.
Penetration and excess wipe
Allow 20–30 min penetration. Where the oil has fully soaked in but bare patches show, top up. Then polish the entire surface dry with a clean cloth or pad — no oil layer must remain on top. Drying 10–12 h surface, full recoat window 16–24 h at 18–22°C / 50–55% RH.
Second coat
Apply a second thin coat the same way. If micro-roughness has appeared after coat one, lightly sand with P320 abrasive or P400–P600 mesh between coats. Wipe excess after 20–30 min. The worktop is light-use ready after 24 h.
Optional third coat — heavy prep zone
On worktops where chopping, kneading, or hot-pan transfer happens daily, a third coat over the working zone (not the whole top) adds depth. Same wet-on-wet method. Full cure at 7–10 days before placing heavy daily wet load.
System Composition
- Sanding with P100–P120 to open the grain evenly
- Countertop Oil 280 — first coat (deep penetration, 15–20 min soak)
- Excess removal, then second coat after 16–24 h
- Optional third coat over the prep/cutting zone for daily-load resilience
Why It Works
- Countertop Oil 280 is tested per DIN EN 71-3 (migration of certain elements) and meets Regulation (EC) 1935/2004 + LFGB for materials in contact with food.
- Penetrating oil lives inside the wood fibre — there is no surface film to chip, flake, or peel into food.
- Oiled wood breathes through monsoon humidity (Mumbai, Goa, Bangalore RH 75–90%) without warping the worktop — a sealed lacquer film would trap moisture and crack.
Pick the Right Build
Which build fits your surface?
Daily-use kitchen worktops (teak, sheesham, Burma teak)
Two thin coats with white pad. Sand P100–P120. Add a third coat over the cutting/prep zone if the worktop carries daily mechanical load. Re-oil monthly under heavy use, or whenever water no longer beads.
Countertop Oil 280 — 2 coats (3 over heavy-load zones)
What to Expect
- Surface ready for light use after 24 h. Full polymer cure: 7–10 days. Keep wet sponges, hot pots, and standing water off the surface during that window.
- Re-oil cycle on a daily-prep worktop: monthly the first year, then 2–3× per year once the wood is fully saturated.
- The wood will darken slightly with the first coat — this is normal and enhances grain figure. 280 is colourless but accepts tints to LEINOS, RAL, or NCS shades on request.
- Test the bead: drip water on the worktop. If it beads → finish is intact. If it darkens the wood → time to re-oil that area.
What to Avoid
- Not a film barrier — turmeric paste, ginger juice, and standing red-wine spills must be wiped within minutes, not hours. Long-standing pigment WILL penetrate.
- Hot kadai, tawa, and pressure-cooker bases must sit on a trivet — direct heat damages both the oil and the wood.
- No harsh cleaners, no bleach, no chlorine-based disinfectants. Daily wipe with a damp cloth; for grease use diluted Vegetable Soap 930 (30–50 ml per 10 L water).
- Food-contact compliance is product-specific to Countertop Oil 280. Do not substitute Hard Oil 240, Hardwax Oil 290, or any other interior oil for the worktop — they are not EN 71-3 tested for migration.
Scope & Limits
Where this system applies.
This solution applies to wooden worktops, cutting boards, serving surfaces, kitchen cabinetry interiors, and other wooden elements in kitchen environments where food contact may occur.
Requirements
- Before compatible products can be reviewed, the following must be confirmed:
- Solid teak, sheesham, mango, Burma teak, or similar absorbent hardwood (no engineered or composite worktops)
- Worktop, shelf, or board thickness ≥ 18 mm for structural stability under daily prep load
- Moisture content below 14% — measure with a pin meter on the underside before oiling
- No prior lacquer, varnish, polyurethane, or melamine residue — bare wood only
- Surface prepared to P100–P120 (worktops, boards) or P120–P150 (cabinet interiors)
Not compatible with
- This system does not apply to:
- Composite, MDF, or plywood worktops with PU edge-banding — the oil cannot bond and the substrate is not food-grade
- Pre-finished modular kitchen panels (laminate, melamine, foil-wrap) — the surface is already sealed and will not absorb oil
- Granite, quartz, marble, or any mineral worktop — wrong substrate class entirely (mineral, not wood)
- Outdoor kitchen counters exposed to direct rain — Countertop Oil 280 is interior-tested only; weather-exposed wood needs dedicated exterior systems
In the wild
Real surfaces. Real India.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked
- A worktop in active daily kitchen use needs re-oiling roughly once a month for the first year, then 2–3 times a year once the wood has fully saturated. The simplest test: drip water on the worktop — if it beads, the finish is intact; if the wood darkens under the drop, that area is due for a refresh.
- Yes — once the full 7–10 day polymer cure is complete after the final coat. This window is non-negotiable for direct food contact, because EN 71-3 migration compliance applies to a fully cured finish, not a wet one. The oil sits inside the wood fibre, not on top, so there is no surface film to chip into food during cutting.
- Turmeric, raw ginger juice, beetroot, and saffron will stain bare wood if left standing — Countertop Oil 280 slows the penetration but does not form a barrier. Wipe spills within minutes, not hours. If a stain takes hold, light P320 sanding of the affected spot plus a fresh coat of 280 restores both colour and protection.
- During the first 24 hours after application, hot oil splatters can lift the still-curing finish — wipe immediately and let the area dry overnight. After the 7–10 day full cure, the surface tolerates routine kitchen splatters. Use a trivet under hot kadai, tawa, or pressure-cooker bases regardless; direct heat damages the wood itself, not just the oil.
- Countertop Oil 280 is the complete system for this surface class. No primer (a sealed primed surface would block oil penetration) and no separate topcoat — the optional third coat over heavy-load zones IS the topcoat in this method. Two to three coats of 280, wet-on-wet, is the documented system per the LEINOS Technical Data Sheet.
- Mineral oil and beeswax mixes are food-safe in the colloquial sense but lack the EN 71-3 migration testing and Regulation (EC) 1935/2004 documentation that an architect can specify or a commercial kitchen inspector can verify. Countertop Oil 280 also cures inside the wood as a drying oil — mineral oil never cures and needs continuous re-application. For specifier-grade work, only the tested system counts.
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