Paints soil differently (4)
I believe the answer is:
oils
'paints' is the definition.
(oil is a kind of paint)
'soil differently' is the wordplay.
'differently' indicates an anagram.
'soil' with letters rearranged gives 'OILS'.
(Other definitions for oils that I've seen before include "Viscous stuffs in silo" , "paintings?" , "Lubricates; paints" , "7's paint medium" , "Painting medium" .)