Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Make oil paint thinner for oil paint
• Necessities
• Tips

Traditional paint thinner can be aggressive and you may be looking for a milder alternative. If so, prepare a mixture of flaxseed oil and lemon oil for thinning oil paint. If you want to thin paint and you don't have a traditional paint thinner at home, you can use acetone or turpentine to thin oil paint. These alternative paint thinners should work fine as long as you work in a well-ventilated area and add the correct amount of the compound. If you are using acrylic or latex paint, you can dilute the paint with water.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Make oil paint thinner for oil paint

1. Gather your supplies. You will need both lemon and flaxseed oils, as well as a bucket to mix in and a stir stick. You should be able to buy all of these materials at a hardware store or paint supply store.
2. Put on a face mask and goggles, and put on rubber gloves. Solvents used as paint thinners can give off strong, noxious fumes. Use personal protective equipment so that you do not suffer from irritation. Put on old clothes so it's okay if paint thinner or paint stains it.
3. Work in a well-ventilated area. Solvent fumes can be dangerous if left in a room. That's why you should always dilute paint in a well-ventilated place. If possible, work outside and open doors and windows if you work inside.
   • You can improve air circulation in a room by putting a fan in front of the window or in the doorway.
4. Select a solvent. White spirit and acetone are suitable paint thinners that can be used as an alternative to traditional agents such as turpentine. These known household products can both be used to dilute oil-based paints. You can buy both products at the hardware store.
5. Use a large bucket to thin the paint in larger quantities. Thinning the paint in larger amounts will give the paint a more consistent quality. If you need a few buckets of paint for your project, try to dilute the paint the same amount each time so that the paint in all buckets is about the same thickness.
6. If necessary, thin the paint by adding small amounts of water. If you want a thinner paint, you can keep adding water until you think the paint is thin enough. Otherwise you can keep the paint a little thicker.
   • Take your time when adding water to the paint. You can always add more, but if you add too much water you may need to thicken the paint.

Necessities

• Bucket
• Stir stick
• Solvent (oil, turpentine or acetone)
• Water (for acrylic and latex paint)

Tips

• Instead of paint thinner, you can also use oil like safflower oil to get oil paint off paint brushes.