Gluing is the most common and essential part of making furniture. If you look closely at a piece of furniture at your house, you’ll see that it’s not just joined with screws and nuts, there is moderate usage of glue as well.
So, without any shadow of a doubt, I can assure you that in case of taking up a DIY project on making furniture you have to know how to glue the pieces together.
But gluing can be a bit messy and difficult if you don’t know how to handle it. Down here I’ll walk you through some easy steps on how to spread wood glue properly.
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Spreading Wood Glue: The DIY Formula
Wood glue is a substance used to join wood pieces together tightly. It is used for making furniture, fixing wooden floors, or any wooden artwork. But, you can’t just spread glue like a madman and think it’ll stick the way you want to. You need to know how to apply wood glue.
There are many ways that you can follow to apply wood glue while working with wood. But instead of letting you go through all those trial-and-error methods, I’ll discuss a few easy steps on how to apply wood glue the best way.
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Choosing the Best Wood Glue for You
The very first step to applying is you have to choose the best option for you among the large range of wood glues that are available. Make sure to read the manufacturer’s guide to see what chemicals they have used or how much time it will take to dry. Make sure to purchase waterproof glue in case you are going to use it for outdoor projects.
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What to Use to Spread Wood Glue
For the application, you have to choose the most appropriate tool for you. The most commonly used tools are Sili brush and glue spreader roller.
1. Sili Brush – Silicone glue brush most commonly known as Sili brush is a great tool for spreading glue. It can spread the glue quickly and efficiently. Also, you can clean it immediately after using it with water.
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3. Glue spreader roller – This is another amazing tool to spread the glue. You just have to put the glue into the container and roll it over to the place where you need to apply the glue. This wood glue applicator is an excellent option for professional woodworkers.
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The Best Way to Spread Glue
You need to spread the glue evenly. It’s not a major issue if you are cautious enough. This process is simple and you can take it up for any DIY project. You can use any wood of your choice.
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1. First, you have to tape all the joints using a stain or finish. You have to start the pre-finish by masking the glue joints. This is essential to assure that you will get a good quality finish and that it will save a lot of time. But if you are using a strong glue joint, you have to see that there is no finish on the joint as it will not stick well to the stain or varnishes.
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2. After taping when you’re ready to start gluing, cover the bar clamps with some wax paper. Now you might think why not use steel bars or pipe clamps? The reason is glue coming in direct contact with these clamps will cause stains or marks on the wood.
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3. To avoid that sort of mishap you have to take some wax paper and put a little bit of it over the clamps to avoid occurring any dark spots.
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4. Now start gluing with the use of a Sili brush or a glue spreader roller. If you are using a Sili brush the work will be exactly like painting. You can reach any desired corner evenly with the use of this brush. It will give you the maximum amount of control over overspreading the glue.
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5. After spreading the glue over wood pieces, join them together. It can be a little bit slippery which might make it difficult to keep them in the proper place perfectly. To prevent that I suggest you can use brad nails if you come across this difficulty. But if you use brad nails make sure to shoot the nails through an extra portion of the wood. So that the brad nail holes can be cut off during the finishing stage.
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6. After spreading the glue correctly, you will see a small amount of glue coming out of the joints. It means you have applied a proper amount of glue to the surface. Now wipe the excess glue clean or it can stain your woodwork. Some say you can use a damp rag to wipe it clean, others prefer to let the excess glue dry and then scrape it off. You can choose whichever works best for you.
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What Is Wood Glue Used For?
Wood glue is designed mainly for the purpose of holding wood together. It is used before joining wood pieces together with nuts or bolts. You first join the woods temporarily with wood glue and after that secure them permanently using screws and bolts. Surely the wood glue will wear off faster than screws and bolts, but by that time the main purpose of using wood glue is fulfilled.
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Types of Wood Glue
Although many substances are used as wood glue, there are mainly 5 types of wood glue that are used commonly. Let’s have a look at them.
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1. Animal or Hide Glue
Animal or hide glue is known to be the original glue. It’s the easiest to make, although there are many synthetic ones available in the market as well. Among the names hide glue, animal glue, or rawhide glue, it’s known commonly as hide glue. This glue is usually used for making bows, instruments, and traditional woodworks.
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2. Polyvinyl Acetate Glue (PVA)
PVA or polyvinyl acetate glue is the most commonly used wood glue. It is used widely because of its benefits, such as, not having toxic fumes or changing color over time.
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3. Cyanoacrylate Glue
Cyanoacrylate glue is best known as super glue. This type of glue can be more expensive than others and can be used for general purposes as well.
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4. Epoxy Glue
Epoxy glue is a type of strong adhesive. Epoxy works as a good filler and is waterproof.
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5. Polyurethane Glue
Polyurethane glue is a very strong adhesive. But it only works that way if you use it correctly. It is often recommended by professionals for woodwork.
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Parting words
Whether you’re trying to make a new piece of furniture, fixing that worn-out wooden floor, or just plain taking up on a DIY project knowing how to spread wood glue properly is a must. But make sure to check before any project if you need any professional help.
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