In the painting world, there are hardly any other products as similar as mineral spirits and paint thinner. Both solvents are used to thin paints, clean stains, and wipe painting equipment. But, what’s the difference between them?
Mineral spirit is a type of thinner gotten from 100 % petroleum distillation. That gives the solvent some features that are different from regular thinners.
Paint thinner refers to a broad range of solvents that are used to thin paints. The term “paint thinner” refers to the function of the solvent and not its content. They often include additives in the formula and can even be made from two or more solvents.
Popular thinners include acetone, turpentine, rubbing alcohol, and even mineral spirits.
Mineral Spirits
Mineral spirit is a petroleum-distilled solvent. This means the solvent is gotten from a process of distilling crude oil through heat. It has no additives or extra solvents in its formula. The solvent is 100% gotten from petroleum distillation.
It is used for thinning oil-based paints and cleaning paint off painting equipment. After painting, you can soak the roller, brush, or even spray gun in a bucket of mineral spirits to dissolve and remove paint.
However, you can’t use mineral spirits to thin water-based paint given the high deposits of oils in it.
Paint Thinner
Paint thinner is more of a term than a product. It refers to any liquid or solvent that can be used to make paint lighter or thinner. Even water is considered as thinner since it’s used to thin water-based paints.
But paint thinner often refers to oil and solvent-based liquids that can be used to lighten the flow of oil-based coatings. They often have complex chemical makeup. Asides from the main ingredient which could be any solvent or natural matter, it also includes additives in its formula.
For instance, turpentine is gotten from the distillation of pine tree resins but it also includes additives like benzene.
Related Read: Different Types of Paint Thinners?
Paint Thinner vs Mineral Spirits
The differences between paint thinner and mineral spirits are listed below.
Cost
Mineral spirits is more expensive than paint thinner.
Paint Thinning
Mineral spirits is used to thin oil-based paints (or sealers) only, while different paint thinner types are used to thin water-based and oil-based paints (or sealers).
Both thinners can be used to dissolve and remove paint finishes from the surface.
The Effectiveness
Mineral spirits is better at thinning oil-based paints than paint thinners.
User Difficulty
Mineral spirits is easier to work with than paint thinners.
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