What Are Thinners Made

A thinner is a volatile solvent that is used to dilute or extend oil-based paints or cleanup after use. Common solvents used as paint thinner chemicals include mineral spirits, mineral and true turpentine, acetone, naphtha, toluene, methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), dimethylformamide (DMF), glycol ethers and xylene.

What is the difference between thinner and mineral spirits?

Mineral spirits is a term that specifies the product’s composition, while paint thinner is a generalized term that describes the product’s function, not its composition. Both products are derived from minerals. This distinguishes them from products such as turpentine that are derived from living pine trees.

Is thinners the same as 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.