Mineral Spirits vs Paint Thinner – 3 Key Differences

Painting is one of the industries that rely on some special solvents. The solvents are used for cleaning surfaces, brushes and even thinning the paint.

Mineral spirits and paint thinners are the main types of solvents that are commonly used. These are made from petroleum products and seem to work equally well.

However, there are some key differences between these two, and this article seeks to point out some of the similarities as well as differences. Mineral spirits and paint thinners will be ideal for cleaning oil-based paints, cleaning spray your gun or brushes.

Shockingly, while the two can be used interchangeably, they are so different. At the end of this article, you will have a clear understanding of mineral spirits vs paint thinner.

This will help you make an informed decision on whether to use paint thinners or mineral spirits.

What Are Mineral Spirits?

Mineral spirits are a solvent that is commonly used for cleaning equipment, thinning paints and can also be used as a cleaning agent.

This is made from the distillation of petroleum, which not only makes it a perfect solvent, but also an excellent degreaser.

While the solvent has so many different uses, most of the time it is used in the painting industry as a thinner and cleaning paint brushes.

There are a couple of benefits that are associated with the mineral spirits as opposed to the conventional thinner.

Mineral spirits are generally more expensive than the paint thinners, and this is for a good cause. You will find the solvent quite useful when it comes to cleaning metal of grease build-up, carbon and other types of oils.

What Is Paint Thinner?

A paint thinner is also a solvent that is used in the mixing and thinning of oil-based paints. In addition to this, it has also been found to be used as a cleaning agent for surfaces as well as brushes and spray guns.

Once you have finished the painting project, the thinner can be used to clean your tools and equipment. The biggest use of the paint thinner for oil paint is thinning the paint, just as the name implies.

This is meant to reduce the viscosity of the paint so as to make it light and easy to use with spray guns.

In addition, while you may not know it, the thinner can also be used for preventing the hardening of the paint, when left open. You should never user paint thinners with shellac, lacquer or latex paints.

Mineral Spirits vs Paint Thinner – Key Differences

While you may seem to confuse these two solvents as a result of having the same functionality, they are actually different. Here are some of the key differences between the two:

1. Odor Factor

Mineral spirits are known to have a very low odor factor compared to paint thinner. The paint thinner is noxious and the vapors that they produce are quite dangerous and toxic.

As a matter of fact, you should observe precautions so as not to inhale too much of it. There are so many solvents that are used in making the paint thinner.

For this reason, it has a higher odor factor than the refined mineral spirits.  It is advisable to use the solvents in well-ventilated areas so as to avoid the possible side effects.

2. Price Factor

There is a significant difference between the price of paint thinner and mineral spirits. Paint thinner costs about half the price of the mineral spirits. This is attributable to the fact that mineral spirits are well-refined and do not contain so many elements.

The process of producing mineral spirits is rather demanding than that of paint thinners, and this cost is passed on to the end-user.

3. Effectiveness Factor

Depending on the type of project that you have, you will want to be assured of effectiveness. Mineral spirits are known to be effective when it comes to cleaning and being used as a solvent.

This is explained by the thorough purification and refinement that the mineral spirits go through. A good number of professional painters and artists prefer to use mineral spirits due to its effectiveness.

Compared to the paint thinner, the mineral spirit does a better job in thinning oil-based paints. These are the key differences between the two and as you can see, the only advantage of the paint thinners over mineral spirits is the cost factor.

Depending on the type of project that you have, you will want to be assured effectiveness. Mineral spirits are known to be effective when it comes to cleaning and being used as a solvent.

This is explained by the thorough purification and refinement that the mineral spirits go through. A good number of professional painters and artists prefer to use mineral spirits due to its effectiveness.

Compared to the paint thinner, the mineral spirit does a better job in thinning oil-based paints.

These are the key differences between the two and as you can see, the only advantage of the paint thinners over mineral spirits is the cost factor.

Side Effects of Using Mineral Spirit and Paint Thinners

Both mineral spirits and paint thinner are made from a number of chemicals and this means that they have some side effects. These are some of the main side effects of the two:

While paint thinner and mineral spirits seem to be useful and can be used in a myriad of applications, caution needs to be observed.

Conclusion

With all this information, you should have a clear knowledge about mineral spirits vs paint thinners. Each has its own advantages and benefits and as such, you should be able to pick the one that works for you.

From the look of things, it would be advantageous for you to make use of the mineral spirits. As long as you are willing to pay a little bit more, then you will enjoy the effectiveness and benefits of the mineral spirits.