Pettit Paint Solvents & Thinners

The Right Thinner for Every Pettit Paint System

When it comes to marine coatings, even the best paint can fall short without the correct solvent or thinner behind it. Pettit Paint — a manufacturer of marine coatings, antifouling bottom paints, varnishes, and epoxies with roots going back to 1861, headquartered in Rockaway, New Jersey — carries that same depth of expertise into its line of solvents and thinners. These aren't generic hardware-store products; they are formulated specifically to work within Pettit's own coating systems, ensuring proper viscosity, adhesion, and film formation in demanding saltwater and freshwater environments.

Pettit's Core Thinner Products

Pettit offers a focused lineup of thinners, each matched to a specific application method and paint type:

• Pettit 120 Brushing Thinner — the recommended thinner for all Pettit solvent-based topside enamels and varnishes, as well as all antifouling paints except Hydrocoat and Ultima SR-60. The 120 Brushing Thinner evaporates at a moderate rate and is completely out of the paint film within several hours; surfaces can also be washed with this thinner prior to painting to remove contamination or sanding residue.
• Pettit 121 Spraying Thinner — a general purpose thinner for thinning spray enamels for easier application. Thinning paint to 10–20% delivers the best results when spraying Pettit topcoats and enamels.
• Pettit 97 Epoxy Thinner — strong and fairly fast evaporating, designed for 2-part epoxies to flow smoothly and flash out fast enough to prevent sags. This makes it the go-to choice when working with Pettit's epoxy primer or barrier coat systems.
• Pettit 120VOC Thinner — a VOC-compliant brushing thinner that can be used in place of Pettit's standard 120 Brushing Thinner in antifoulings, varnishes, and topside paints, with slow evaporation that allows for excellent flow and leveling when used with all varnishes.

Why Manufacturer-Matched Thinners Matter

Using a thinner from the same manufacturer as your paint is more than a recommendation — it's a best practice backed by chemistry. Choosing a thinner or solvent depends on paint type, surface material, and ensuring the product is marine-grade and manufacturer-compatible to avoid defects. Pettit thinners are calibrated to the exact resin systems, solvents, and cure mechanisms used in Pettit coatings, which means you won't risk blushing, fisheyes, or adhesion failures from an incompatible third-party product.

Pettit Marine Paint is recognized as a global market leader in antifouling paints, epoxies, varnishes, and sealants for the marine industry, with high-performance products that include thinners and dewaxers across its full coating lineup. That breadth of system-level engineering is precisely why boaters trust Pettit thinners to deliver consistent, professional results — whether brush-rolling a varnish topcoat, rolling and tipping an enamel, or spraying a two-part epoxy primer.

Choosing the Right Pettit Solvent

The key question when selecting a Pettit thinner is your application method and paint type. Brush application calls for the slower-evaporating 120 Brushing Thinner or its low-VOC counterpart, while spray application demands the faster-evaporating 121 Spraying Thinner for proper atomization and film build. Two-part epoxy systems require the 97 Epoxy Thinner to manage flow and prevent sagging on vertical surfaces. When in doubt, consult the product data sheet for your specific Pettit paint — every system specifies its recommended thinner by number.