Part of woodworking is to do good joinery; if the joints are tight and well-fitting, you’ve got a better chance of long-term success. But the other part is gluing those wood joints – particularly if you’re working with imperfect pallet wood!
But which types of wood glue do you use? Have you ever been to the glue aisle in a home improvement center? It’s HUGE. There are so many types, which unless you’ve got a glue expert with you, what usually happens is you grab a brand name you recognize, even if you find out later it’s not the best choice for your project.
Please keep in mind that I am NOT endorsing a particular product, nor was I compensated in any way for this blog. This is just one woman’s journey through the endless glue aisle…
So what types of wood glue are there? What’s the difference? I’m very glad you asked. I had to ask too.
I can hear you all saying, “Whaaaa?” Don’t panic! You know what this is. PVA stands for polyvinyl acetate. Most of you have worked with the gold-standard of hobby craft glue for all kids: in elementary school: Elmer’s White Glue. The great thing about Elmer’s is that it’s safe! How many of you know someone who has gotten it in their mouth, either by accident or on purpose, and they lived to tell the tale? I was one of those, but it was accidental – I promise!
But PVA has a lot of good points. You can clean up excess Elmer’s glue with a damp sponge or paper towel. It’s sticky, but you have time to shift and realign the two pieces you’re joining. The downside for me is that it only has a modest tack – meaning the grip/grab strength. Sometimes, I want the piece to be placed and just stay, like on a vertical surface. You have to plan on clamping PVA glue to give it a chance to stick. But, once it’s cured, it’s pretty strong.
Are there any other PVA glues out there? Sure. How many of you have gotten a bottle of Titebond or other “carpenter’s” wood glue? These yellow glues, known as aliphatic resins are part of the PVA family. They’ve been around a while, so we’re all pretty comfortable with them. I mentioned Titebond, but we can’t forget Elmer’s Carpenter’s Glue and Gorilla Glue – yes – Gorilla Glue also manufacturers a PVA-style glue. Don’t freak; we haven’t slipped into an alternate universe. We’ll get to that Gorilla Glue that everyone’s familiar with that does that weird expanding thing.
But within the PVA category, you’ve got lots of choices. Remember: I’m not endorsing anyone. I’m just sharing information here. I’m going to start with Titebond since it seems to have a LOT of varieties these days. Their website even has a cool “woodworking glues product selector” since they have so many choices which turned out to be a good resource for me when I started questioning my types of glue for wood (and got zero help at the home centers).
Let’s start with the basics of Titebond.
A classic PVA glue. Similar properties as the rest of the Titebond line – read below.
It sets quickly and has a pretty good initial grab, so you need to align your project quickly, or you’ll be a very unhappy camper), but this type is indoor use only – not water resistant. Not for your porch pallet project, but does clean up with water, has excellent standability and isn’t affected by finishes.
It also sets quickly; grabs well, etc., but it’s water-resistant. You can use this wood glue for indoor or outdoor projects, such as outdoor furniture, birdhouses, planters, and picnic tables. The other thing it’s approved for is indirect food contact, like cutting boards and bowls.
It also comes with the following:
Dark-tinted to match darker woods or stains.
Slower set speed, and provides a translucent wood glue line, is very sandable when dry, and unaffected by finishes.
Has a dye that when viewed under a black light, lets you see the wood glue line and clean up any glue fingerprints (not that any of us have ever done that, of course).
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You can clean this stuff up with water when it’s wet, but it dries waterproof – but not for continuous submersion or for applications that sit below a waterline (so no boats or canoes). Good for indoor or outdoor uses, too. Has similar properties as the other Titebond line of glues, but it’s safer than traditional waterproof glues since it’s solvent-free. Also approved for indirect food contact. Also, says it sands easily without softening (which can be advantageous when using power sanders).
Similar to Titebond I, but dries translucent. Same features as most of the Titebond line.
Thickest, fastest-drying glue; strong initial tack and fast set, but still allows for realignment of working pieces. Per the website, “develops a bond stronger than the wood itself” and offers excellent standability. Also unaffected by finishes. Dries translucent.
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Very thick, and ideal for wood, pottery, ceramics, stone, glass, fabrics, leather, and most craft-type materials. This one may be handy if you’re doing a pallet art piece with mixed media! Dries clear; unaffected by finishes.
I’d bet that most of you have a bottle of this running around these days. Gorilla Glue, TiteBond Polyurethane Glue & Probond Polyurethane Glue are probably types you’ve seen (or purchased).
This stuff is NEAT, isn’t it? You know you got a little giddy the first time you used it…until you tried to clean your fingers or used too much of it and you ended up with a giant foamy tumor on your project. But what the heck is it? It’s a one-part adhesive, and it sticks to many types of surfaces – so it’s handy in a woodworking shop. It’ll stick to wood, metals, stone, ceramics and most plastics.
The key point is to understand that it doesn’t dry like PVA glue. It’s a chemical reaction with moisture in the objects and the air. When this happens, the stuff foams up and expands, filling all those gaps in imperfect pallet wood. This will create well-filled, strong glue joint. If the material is dry (like pallet wood), having a spray bottle with ordinary water handy is beneficial – Just spray the material with a light mist of water before gluing will speed up the curing process. Or, you can use that same sponge & small bucket I mentioned before and just squeeze it as dry as possible and very lightly wipe the piece down. It makes a difference.
If you bought the big bottle and didn’t want to waste it, you can pour a few mineral spirits in the container if you’re storing it for extended periods – but mark the bottle somehow – you need to pour the solvents off before using it!
To apply, such as to a larger surface, apply the glue by waving the bottle back and forth to create a wave shape. Then you’ll use a spatula, roller bottle, or spreader to distribute the glue. You want it thinner towards the edges and thicker in the middle for less squeeze-out when clamping it. Remove squeeze-out with a damp paper towel. If you miss some, you can use a scraper or chisel to scrape gently it free.
Yup. It’s made from hides. But, it’s got a lot of advantages. You can get different degrees of initial tack. This is handy if you expand your skills into furniture making (like chairs). You don’t want some of the rails installed, and they set hard before you put all the pieces together, would you? This is why this is a very advantageous type of glue for cabinets/chairs, etc. It’s long-lasting (most antique furniture is held together with hiding glue). It doesn’t “creep” – meaning that wood pieces glued with hiding glue stay put.
It’s not waterproof. It can be reactivated with moisture. Professionals will heat and mix it to get it just right for the specific applications they need. But for the rest of us, you can get TiteBond Liquid Hide Glue – just use it like the other TiteBond products – squeeze it out and use it. The other common brand you may see is Old Brown Glue.
You’d most likely recognize this by the brand name “Super Glue.” But why would we use this in woodworking? You could use it as a temporary joint. Handy when you’re doing things like curved pieces. You can stick a glue block temporarily to help your clamps have a spot to squeeze onto. To remove the temporary blocks, just tap with a mallet or hammer, and the glue blocks will come right off. It can be used for inlay projects as well. Can be handy for small repairs, such as when carving or turning wood.
This is a two-part adhesive. It’ll come with a resin and a hardener. Both are liquid, but when combined, there’s that pesky chemical reaction thing again – and they’ll start to harden. It’s waterproof and fills gaps in wood or can repair/consolidate damaged wood. It’ll fix gaps that other glues won’t fill/hold. They have different cure times, but the general rule of thumb is that the longer it takes to cure, the stronger the bond will be. If you can be patient – WAIT and get a stronger bond!
It can be handy to buy disposable plastic cups (like the medicine bottle cups – such as on the top of a Nyquil bottle), so you can measure your parts easily, and if any residue sets up, you can throw the whole thing out. I’ve also found it handy to buy some tongue depressors. This makes mixing and applying the epoxy easy. Epoxy won’t stick to silicone and some tapes so you can use them to mask and create borders. Use gloves too.
Cylindrical sticks that are fed through a “glue gun”.
This thermoplastic glue melts quickly and sets quickly. It can be removed by either popping it off or by heating it with a heat gun. Can be handy for temporarily holding things you’re clamping.
Hot melt glue can be also handy for things like gluing fabric to wood (think box liners and similar). Be careful – this stuff can be hot and could give you a wicked burn!
Since some of you have mentioned it already in your fabulous submissions.
Brands such as Loctite Power Grab and Liquid Nails do have their place in pallet construction.
I’ve used the Power Grab brand a few times, and it really is like having another set of hands because it has a fairly quick tack time. The Power Grab product can be applied in wet conditions, can bond two non-porous surfaces, and can be applied in a wide temperature range.
It has a reposition time of ten minutes (although you’d be fighting if you waited more than five minutes!). It’s also Greenguard certified. It’s not good for marine applications, even though it’s very water resistant.
It’ll bond concrete, masonry, granite, brick, tile, ceramic, porcelain, aluminum, metal, stainless steel (kitchen projects, anyone?), drywall, plaster, PVC, fiberglass, wood, and laminates.
View Comments
You left out one good waterproof "old" glue- powdered resorcinol/formaldehyde glue.
It is still available but "contains" formaldehyde which is considered a potential problem by some.
John (retired chemist)
Hi there. I just stumbled on this blog (if blog is the right thing to call it?) and it's inviting me to be the first to comment. How about that! So, firstly, thanks for all the detailed info. You obviously put some time into this. I'm a keen woodworker, not a skilled artisan, just an enthusiastic hobbyist, and glue is all part of it. For want of a better idea I use PVA, which pretty much does what I need. Your blog got me thinking whether I'm missing something, like a better way of doing some tasks. Problem is, I don't recognise most of the glue types you talk about - most of them I haven't seen on the shelf at my local hardware. Maybe I need to look a bit closer? Can we start with an obvious question - where are you? I'm guessing USA? I'm in Australia (Brisbane) and I have found we sometimes use different names for the same thing. For example, Titebond - never seen it on any shelf in this morning country.
Again, maybe it's there and I just haven't seen it. Is that a brand name or a generic glue type? The PVA brand I use is Selleys. Of course I could check their website but thought I'd drop you a note and say hello! Interested in any comments. Thanks in advance. Jim