Understanding turpentine substitutes and turpenoid in oil painting

Many artists ask us about the possibility of using turpentine substitutes or turpenoid for oil painting. We would not recommend using either of these, but do recommend the use of our solvents to ensure the stability of your work.

As a cheap DIY solvent, turpentine substitute should not be used with oil colour because it can discolour the paint and make it become non-drying. This type of solvent would only be useful for cleaning artists’ brushes. Using turpentine substitute or cheap DIY solvents often results in tacky paint films and the sinking of oil colour.

The Winsor & Newton product closest to turpenoid is Distilled Turpentine.