FAQ'S

Genuine turpentine is a natural solvent made from distilled pine tree resin, while white spirit is a synthetic solvent made from petroleum distillates. Turpentine has a strong pine smell and is a stronger solvent, whereas white spirit evaporates faster, costs less, and is milder.Key DifferencesSource Material: Turpentine comes from tree sap; white spirit comes from crude oil.Evaporation: White spirit dries faster; turpentine stays wet longer, keeping oil paint workable.Viscosity: Turpentine is thicker; white spirit is thinner and more watery.Storage Stability: White spirit lasts a long time in storage; genuine turpentine can degrade when exposed to air and light.White spirit is a far cleaner and better thinners than turps, and to the touch feels less oily. In painting decorators usually shy away from turps in favour of white spirit for this reason. Natural turpentine is a totally different beast, practically useless as a thinner in paints but a brilliant binder for pigments as in artists oils. It is also used for making polishes when mixed with waxes.