Sunnyside

Sunnyside paint thinner is the can painters and do-it-yourselfers grab for thinning oil-based paint, varnish and enamel, cleaning brushes and spray equipment, and degreasing a surface before the first coat. The line matches a solvent to each coating and each prep job. Regular Paint Thinner handles oil-based work, and the rest of the line covers the jobs it can’t.

Sunnyside Corporation was founded by Henry Lueders on the north side of Chicago in 1893. Its main manufacturing and distribution plant is in Wheeling, Illinois, and Robert Lueders, the founder’s great-grandson, leads the company. It makes thinners, solvents, paint removers, cleaners, mildew treatments and paint additives, some of them under the Green Envy, Back to Nature and 2-Minute Remover names.

Paint Thinner for oil-based paint

Sunnyside Paint Thinner thins oil-based paints, varnishes and enamels, and a little of it makes a stiff enamel brush out smoother. Add it a splash at a time, stir, and brush a test stroke before adding more; over-thinned enamel runs and loses its hide. The same can cleans brushes, rollers and spray equipment and wipes dirt and grease off parts and surfaces before painting.

Use it only with oil-based paint. For latex and other water-based coatings, Green Envy Paint Thinner is the Sunnyside pick, since it works with water-based coatings and most oil-based ones. Paint Thinner thins liquid paint; to take old paint off trim or furniture, use Back To Nature Multi-Strip or Ready Strip Plus.

Paint thinner softens asphalt, so clean brushes over a drop cloth or on concrete, away from the blacktop. Kept in its original can with the cap screwed down tight, the mineral spirits has no expiration date. Let used thinner stand in a closed jar until the paint settles, then pour off the clear thinner on top for the first rinse on the next job.

What’s in the can

Sunnyside Paint Thinner contains only mineral spirits, so the safety sheet describes the one ingredient you’re breathing and wiping. Sunnyside publishes a Product Use and Safety Information sheet and a Product Data Sheet for it. The thinner is rated combustible: keep it away from pilot lights, water heaters and running motors, and set a fan in the doorway blowing out before you open the can indoors.

Xylol for faster thinning and acrylic sealer

Xylol and xylene are the same solvent; xylene is the chemical name. Sunnyside Xylol is commonly used for thinning paint, and it’s a faster, stronger solvent than mineral spirits, so it’s the one to use when a coating’s directions call for xylene by name. It loosens many acrylic sealers and can be used on concrete, which makes it the usual fix for a sealed patio or garage floor gone cloudy: a light coat re-wets the old sealer so it can flow back out clear. Wear a respirator rated for organic vapors and chemical-resistant gloves for any xylol job.

MEK and gum turpentine

MEK is a fast, aggressive solvent the trade uses to clean metal and cut resins and adhesive residue that mineral spirits leaves behind. It flashes off quickly and is highly flammable, so work from a small amount on a rag and cap the can between wipes. Pure Gum Spirits of Turpentine is the traditional thinner for oil paint and oil finishes, with a sharper smell and a stronger bite than mineral spirits.

The rest of the Sunnyside line

Sunnyside also makes boiled linseed oil for oiling bare wood (lay the rags flat outdoors to dry, since wadded linseed rags can heat up and catch fire), Japan drier to speed the drying of oil paint, a brush cleaner, kerosene for heaters and lamps, stove and lantern fuel, denatured alcohol, VM&P naphtha, and the Ready-Strip and 2-Minute paint removers. Its muriatic acid etches concrete before sealing and cleans mortar off brick; when you dilute it, pour the acid into the water, never water into the acid, and wear eye protection and acid-resistant gloves.

Green Envy, LVP, acetone and odorless thinners

For jobs the regular thinner doesn’t cover, Sunnyside makes several more solvents. Paint Thinner LVP is VOC-exempt under CARB and US EPA rules and reduces most brush-applied alkyd and oil paints, varnishes and enamels wherever a paint maker calls for paint thinner or mineral spirits. Low Odor and Odorless Mineral Spirits cut the smell for indoor work but still give off vapor, so ventilate the same way. Acetone, at least 99.5% pure as supplied, leaves a residue-free surface before painting and, being VOC-exempt, works for many jobs where MEK is specified; it pulls the natural oils out of leather, so wear nitrile gloves with it. Lacquer thinners come in a medium-fast, high-solvency blend and a slower blend with retarders, the slower one for hot or humid spraying days.

Specs and sizes

Sunnyside Paint Thinner
VOC content	772 g/L
Odor	Medium
Case weight	25 lbs

Product	Sizes
Paint Thinner	Pint, quart, gallon, 2.5 gallon, 5 gallon, 55 gallon
Methyl Ethyl Ketone	Quart, gallon, 5 gallon, 55 gallon
Pure Gum Spirits of Turpentine	Pint, quart, 5 gallon

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Sunnyside lacquer thinner should I use?

Sunnyside makes a medium-fast, high-solvency lacquer thinner and a slower blend with retarders, both in 5-gallon cans, plus a Premium Lacquer Thinner in gallon and 5-gallon sizes. On a cool, dry day the faster blend flashes off quickly, so you can lay the next coat on sooner. If lacquer turns milky as it dries, that’s moisture trapped in the film, and switching to the slower blend with retarders gives it time to release before the finish sets.

How is Sunnyside Paint Thinner LVP different from the regular paint thinner?

The LVP has a slow evaporation rate where the regular thinner is medium, so brushed alkyd enamel stays wet longer and brush marks have more time to level out. It’s CARB and OTC compliant and comes in a 112 oz size. It carries a California Prop 65 warning for cancer and reproductive harm, so wear gloves and wash up before you eat.

Is Sunnyside odorless paint thinner really odorless?

The smell is cut way down, but the vapor is still there. Low Odor Mineral Spirits comes in quart, gallon, 5-gallon and 55-gallon sizes, and a quart is the easy pick for a small indoor cleanup. Odorless Mineral Spirits comes in 5-gallon and 55-gallon sizes, and its California Compliant version meets California VOC requirements for degreasers, so it’s a good fit for cleaning greasy parts.

What is Sunnyside SPECS paint thinner?

SPECS Paint Thinner thins oil-based paints, varnishes and enamels and cleans brushes, rollers and spray equipment, and its slow evaporation rate helps paint brush out smoother. It’s rated combustible, contains 772 g/L of VOC and isn’t sold in California. It comes in pint, quart, gallon, 5-gallon and 55-gallon sizes, and the pint can is 6.5 inches tall, small enough to fit in a paint kit for touch-up work.