What is the Difference Between Paint Thinner and Turpentine?

Painting projects can be a little daunting when you’re doing them on your own, particularly when you get to the paint store and realize that there is a lot more to it than buying a can of paint and a brush.

There are hundreds of colors of paint, dozens of different brands, and scores of different products that are supposed to make it easier for you.

The whole thing can make you dizzy if you don’t have someone to break it down and simplify the process.

We’re going to help in this article by clarifying one specific question; what is the difference between paint thinner and turpentine?

It is very likely that you will need to use these products at some point, so it doesn’t hurt to know which makes sense for you.

Thinner vs. Turpentine

The basic difference between a thinner and turpentine is that the thinner is a liquid mostly used for thinning the consistency of another liquid while turpentine is a kind of volatile essential oil (extracted from the pine trees wood by steam distillation) used as a solvent and paint thinner.

What is Paint Thinner?

Before we get into the differences between these products in detail, let’s explore what paint thinner actually is.

For starters, paint thinner (also referred to as white spirit solvents or mineral spirits) is actually just a sort of generic term for any product that is used to thin out the paint.

Some examples are mineral spirits and naphtha.

These products can be used in many different ways, but the intended use when they are produced is as paint thinner.

You might be wondering why you wouldn’t just add some water to the paint.

Put simply; water won’t usually work. Many paints are oil-based, which obviously will not mix well with water.

Even if they aren’t oil-based, paint thinners are designed to thin out the paint without diluting the ingredients as much as water.

Let’s take a brief look at each type of thinner.

Mineral Spirits-

Mineral spirits are made from petroleum. Typically used as a paint thinner, mineral spirits are also used as a solvent sometimes.

This particular product is considered to be a little milder than many other paint thinners, but you should still exercise caution when handling it.

Traditionally, mineral spirits were known as “naphtha”, but these two products are not made from the same chemicals.

Other names for mineral spirits were “mineral turpentine” and “white spirit”.

Although it’s been referred to by the same names, mineral spirits are not the same as naphtha or turpentine.

Naphtha-

Let’s start with a safety warning. Naphtha is a highly flammable substance. Be careful when using it.

Naphtha is a liquid hydrocarbon mixture that can be produced from many different chemicals.

It is often made with natural gasses, petroleum distillation, or the distillation of coal tar or peat.

When it comes down to it, naphtha is another paint thinner, but it is flammable and tends to be a bit harsher than mineral spirits.

What is Turpentine?

You may have guessed it by this point, but turpentine (also called gum spirits or turps) is actually a complex mixture of monoterpenes that is also used as a paint thinner.

However, it is different from many of the thinners we’ve discussed so far in that it is made from natural resources like the resin of living pine trees.

It does take some synthetic processes to produce turpentine, but the base ingredient and even some of the usual additives are naturally occurring, like beeswax.

Turpentine works as a paint thinner or solvent, just like many other products. However, turpentine has actually had many other uses over its long history.

It was actually used as a sort of topical medicine for a long time.

It was applied to wounds and sores to stave off infection, used to treat lice, and combined with animal fat to make a chest rub for respiratory problems.

It was also used as ingested medicine for a long time, but this is strongly discouraged as it does far more harm than good.

In fact, using turpentine as any kind of medicine is risky and unnecessary, with modern medicine so readily available.

Turpentine has had many niche uses over the years, including being added to gin, added to cleaning products as an antiseptic, and used as lamp oil.

As lamp oil, it was typically used outdoors because it had a rather powerful odor.

If you aren’t a professional in a relevant field, it is highly recommended that you only use turpentine as it is recommended on the container, as it can be very hazardous if it is used improperly.

Can I Use Kerosene as A Paint Thinner?

Kerosene (also called kerosene, coal oil, furnace oil No. 1, or range oil) is a substance that is mostly derived from crude petroleum.

Although turpentine, as well as kerosene, can be used as paint thinners while thinning paint, these products are generally labeled differently and with their true names.

The primary difference between kerosene and turpentine is lightness and less harshness.

Due to being light and less harsh, kerosene is basically used for fuelling engines, stoves, and furnaces (rather than thin paint).

Deciding Based on The Cost Factor

If you want to choose between Kerosene, paint thinner, and turpentine, you may decide based on how much you actually want to spend on your project.

While kerosene and paint thinner can cost roughly $10 to $15 per gallon, turpentine can cost you anywhere from $40 to $85 per gallon.

You may sometimes even need to spend more if you are considering buying the turpentine oil that’s steam-distilled type.

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Other Household Alternatives to Paint Thinner

If you are wondering whether there are other substitutes that can be used instead of thinner or turpentine, there might be a few options.

If you are using latex or acrylic, you can simply make a homemade paint thinner with some water.

But if you are primarily using oil paint or enamel, you may use other household solvents like rubbing alcohol, lemon oil mixed with linseed oil, acetone, methylated spirits, Windex, etc.

Remember, these cannot replace thinner or turpentine and should be used in a pinch only if proper paint thinner is not available.

Make sure that you read the label of the product carefully and use the solvent in an appropriate ratio.

Most of the time, it’s good to add one part of the solvent to three parts of the paint.

The best is to thin and prepare a small portion of the paint (using any of these household paint thinners) in a small bucket.

Tweak the consistency by adding a bit more solvent if you think the paint is still thick.

Give it a try, and then prepare more using the same recipe/ratio if all goes well.

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Can You Use Gasoline to Thin Paint?

Gasoline is a type of engine fuel made from crude oil and other petroleum liquids. 

Gas or gasoline can only be used to thin oil paint.

However, remember that it can be highly flammable and should not be used indoors.

When thinning paint with gas, make sure that you wear a proper respirator that is rated for organic vapors.

Do not take the respirator off until you have completed applying the paint.

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Choosing the Best Solvent For Thinning Paint

Paint thinner, turpentine, and acetone are among the most common solvents that a painter uses to make the oil paint thin.

Care that you measure them properly and use them in a 3:1 ratio.

Also, please do not use them with latex paints, shellac, or lacquers.

While choosing among all these paint-thinning solvents for your DIY home repainting project, it is good to decide how much of an odor your lungs can actually tolerate.

Although paint thinner, turpentine, and kerosene all produce strong odors, turpentine is a product that is known to give off the most powerful smell of all.

However, odorless versions of mineral spirits and kerosene are available in the market. But these can be expensive to buy.