Making glue at home: the best glue recipes for paper, wallpaper, cardboard, plywood and wood

Today, store shelves are full of a variety of glues of different prices and compositions - I don’t want to choose! However, there are those who prefer to make it themselves, which, by the way, saves a lot of money.

In this article we will tell you how and from what to make glue from improvised materials, and it is no worse than in the store.

Paste - a traditional flour recipe

Paste is perhaps the best wallpaper glue. It is based on flour. It is absolutely non-toxic and safe for children. It can be used at home.

One liter of it is enough for about 2-3 rolls of wallpaper.

To make it you will need:

Two containers: for mixing glue and for water.
Flour - 6 tablespoons per 1 liter of water.
Water - 1 liter.

Let's start making:

Take the first container, pour water into it and bring it to a boil.
At this time, in another, thoroughly mix the flour and cold water until it becomes liquid sour cream, so that there are no lumps.
Without ceasing to stir the mixture of flour and water, we begin to pour boiling water into it in a thin stream.
Mix everything well, bring to a boil again, set aside and then let cool.

The consistency of the mass will resemble thick jelly. If there is suddenly no flour in the house, then ordinary starch will do instead, and the quality will not suffer from this. They can easily replace wallpaper glue from the supermarket.

For the sake of experimentation, before applying it to the surface of the wallpaper, take small pieces and adhere them to each other.

It is also great for working with different types of paper, such as cardboard.

Kinds

Products for gluing wood have different compositions and areas of application. Most materials are positioned as universal products, for which fastening wooden elements is only one of the areas of use. Other products are produced as single-purpose formulations, so they are not intended for contact with other types of materials.

There are several different compositions.

PVA glue is sometimes called a dispersed adhesive.

The main characteristics of such products are:

lack of toxicity, due to which the composition can be used indoors without additional safety measures;
quick adhesion to the surface;
static load of 60 kg/cm2;
unlimited service life of the product;
Can be used on any surface.

Heat-resistant adhesive compositions produced in the form of rods. To work with such products you will need a special gun. The scope of application of the products mainly concerns fastening small parts or sealing defects in a wooden surface.
Wood adhesives. To work, the products need to be prepared. Wood glue is based on organic protein, which is the main adhesive substance. It is necessary for joining various wood materials: hardboard, paper, cardboard, wooden products. The natural composition ensures safety of use.

The origin of the main component of carpentry compositions is different.

Products are classified based on the type of raw materials.

Mezdrovy. The main component in such products is a substance that is formed during the processing of animal skin. The material can be produced in the form of flakes, tiles or powder.
Bone. The raw materials for it are the bone remains of animals. The products have an average price. It is better to use a transparent composition instead of unrefined mixtures with impurities.

Casein. Widely used in aircraft modeling and shipbuilding. It is neutral to dampness and forms a strong connection. To prepare the composition, you must strictly observe the proportions and time interval.
Fishy. It is prepared from the remains of fins and scales. The composition is considered a professional product intended for gluing surfaces with varying degrees of hardness. The glue has a fairly high cost, so it is positioned as a furniture glue and is used for the repair or restoration of expensive furniture.
Moisture-resistant solution. You can prepare it yourself using slaked lime and cottage cheese, which has recently curdled.

There is a certain technology for making wood glue. To do this, the dry mass is poured with water and left for 6-12 hours so that the composition completely absorbs moisture. Then the remaining water is drained, and the mixture is heated in a water bath until the substance is completely dissolved. The cooking process requires periodic stirring

It is important to control the process so that the mixture does not boil. The glue is applied strictly in the direction of the wood fibers, then the elements are pressed against each other and fixed

The main disadvantage of the product is the reduction in gluing efficiency in the case of wood moisture content exceeding 10%.

Syndeticone glue. It is prepared from wood glue with the addition of lime and powdered sugar. The product is distinguished by a high level of strength of the connection of elements. The glue is waterproof and resistant to chemicals. The disadvantage of the product is the rather long preparation process, since the mixture for the solution must be kept in water for 24 hours.
Glue paste. It is prepared on the basis of carpentry composition, wood ash and chalk. The material performs well when priming and puttying wood.
Polyurethane products. It is the most expensive among the above range. The material has a number of positive features. The area where the composition is applied perfectly withstands high dynamic loads.

DIY PVA

In second place in terms of efficiency and popularity is PVA glue, which is rightfully considered universal, since the scope of its use is quite extensive. The good news is that no special technology is used in its manufacture, which means we can weld it at home.

What we need:

Distilled water - 1 liter.
Photographic gelatin - 5 g. (sold in photo stores).
Pharmaceutical glycerin - 4 g.
Flour - 100-150 gr.
Ethyl alcohol - 20 ml.

Preparation consists of 2 stages:

You need to soak the gelatin in a glass of water for a day.
The manufacturing process itself.

After the gelatin has swollen, we begin the process:

Place distilled water in a water bath, add gelatin and flour pre-mixed with water.
Mix everything well.
Bring to a boil, but do not boil! Gradually it will turn white, similar to thick sour cream.
At the very end, add ethyl alcohol and glycerin. Be sure to stir the mixture constantly until it becomes fairly thick - about 10 minutes.
After the mass has cooled, it can be used for work.

Additional options

There are many varieties of products prepared using available ingredients.

Glue stick

Have you ever wondered what you can make from PVA glue at home? For office supplies, the most convenient thing is a glue stick. It's quite easy to make if you have the right ingredients on hand. For the case, either packaging from an old one or an empty tube from a roll-on deodorant or other container is suitable. The main thing is that it closes hermetically.

Scheme:

Finely grind the laundry soap.
Mix two parts of shavings and one part of water with water. Dissolve using a water bath.
Pour in 3-4 tbsp. spoons of PVA glue. Cool.
Place in the form.

If the mass is not very viscous, you can re-dissolve it and add more soap shavings.

Super glue

Many people are interested in how to make super glue at home, not in industrial conditions. You can get it using carpentry as a basis. Components:

water – 450 ml;
slaked lime – 35 g;
sugar – ½ cup;
glue (carpentry) – 125 g.

Scheme:

Dissolve sugar in liquid. Add lime.
Heat for about an hour, stirring occasionally.
Cut the glue into pieces. Place in solution. Wait until it swells.
Cook until a homogeneous mixture is obtained.

Super glue can be made at home using acetone. Pieces of linoleum or plastic are used as filler. Action plan:

Prepare a container that can be tightly closed.
Place finely chopped pieces of linoleum or plastic into it.
Fill with double volume of acetone. Place in a dark place.
After complete dissolution, it can be used to fasten metal, wood, and porcelain.

Foam glue

With the increase in the cost of energy resources, it has become popular to insulate house facades with foam plastic. Making your own glue is not difficult. For this, the use of carpentry is allowed, since acetone can melt the layers. Styrofoam glue can be made using cottage cheese and slaked lime. Mix in equal parts until smooth. Because it hardens quickly, use quickly.

Foam glue

You can make quite high-quality foam material yourself. Glue is used for fastening

metal, glass.

Scheme:

Place pieces of foam plastic into a container.
Pour in a small amount.
The splitting process will begin immediately. Use liquid foam mass.
Apply to the surface and squeeze firmly.
The hardening time is almost a day, but the period may vary depending on air humidity and temperature.

Attention! Remove excess immediately, as this will be problematic after drying.

Flour glue is a universal means for gluing wallpaper. But with a wide variety of wallpapers, it is necessary to take into account their density and know how to make high-quality material. If the wallpaper is dense and heavy, increase the amount of the main component. The thicker the consistency, the better it will hold. Depending on the wallpaper you will need from 300 to 500 g.
To prepare, take a smaller amount of base, about 100 g. It is recommended to add copper sulfate (1 g) so that it has antiseptic properties.
To strengthen the properties, you can pour in ethyl alcohol or denatured alcohol. Turpentine will also increase stickiness; a standard recipe requires adding 125 ml of turpentine.
The paste will become easier to use by adding glycerin (4 g) or gelatin (5 g). The grip will be stronger.
In the paste, the main component can be replaced with starch, or a solution can be prepared by mixing with starch.

Necessary ingredients: flour - a glass, starch - 35 g, water - 2.5 l.

Action plan:

Dilute everything in cold water, mix thoroughly;
boil water, slowly pour in the solution;
Boil the mixture and let it cool.

Important ! Use available means: natural, cheap. Repair and enjoy the result

After all, nothing pleases the eye more than quality work done.

Wood glue

This look is ideal:

For the tree.
For paper.
For cardboard.
Other materials are made from cellulose and sometimes even plastic.

There are two disadvantages of wood glue:

Shelf life in liquid form is too short.
The smell is too strong and quite bad. But if you boil it in advance and turn it into a gelatinous mass, it will be stored much longer. Then, if necessary, you can cut off the desired piece, melt it on the fire and use it.

Of all the methods for preparing this type of glue, four can be distinguished:

Recipe 1

We take regular wood glue, grind it and soak it in water until it swells and resembles jelly.
Next, place it in a special container (cloth). In the absence of one, you can take an ordinary tin can and place everything in a water bath over low heat.
Using a wooden spoon or stick, stir the mixture continuously to avoid burning. If the mass acquires a yellow tint, it will lose its adhesive properties.
After the mixture has become liquid, dilute it with vodka in the ratio: 720 g. glue and 950 gr. vodka.
Next, add 12 grams of powdered alum per 100 grams of glue.

It perfectly glues surfaces and also has moisture-repellent properties.

Recipe 2

Mix glue and water in a glass bottle in a 1:1 ratio.
Bring slightly to a boil, then remove from heat and pour into a ceramic mortar, in which, using a pestle, grind the mass to a jelly state.
Place it on a plate, let it cool and cut into desired pieces.
If necessary, mix it with vodka in the following proportions: 720 grams of glue and 360 grams of vodka. Bring to a boil, cool.

Recipe 3

Take 1 liter of water, 1 kg. wood glue, 1 liter of 9% table vinegar.
Place this mixture in a water bath and bring to a boil.
Pour 1 liter of vodka into the continuously stirring liquid.

Recipe 4

We dilute glue and water - 1:1.
Place in a water bath and heat the mixture until thickened.
Add 1 part glycerin and 1 part glue (the amount of glue is equal to that taken earlier).
Place on low heat and heat until the water evaporates.
Then put it in molds and let it dry.
Before use, dilute with water in equal proportions.

Tips for use

Gluing with wood glue

The use of wood glue has its own characteristics depending on the type of surface and other factors in each specific case.

Experts do not advise storing the compositions in finished form for a long time, as they begin to harden and lose their properties.

Before you start preparing the glue, you need to prepare the wooden surfaces. This is explained by the fact that the mass retains its properties best for two hours.

If the need arises, you can supplement the composition of the solution with certain additives that will provide the adhesive mass with certain additional properties.

Foam glue

Since recently, panels made of foam plastic and other similar materials have increasingly begun to be used to insulate walls. When choosing an adhesive on which to place the panel, it is worth remembering that solvents, such as acetone, easily melt it. Therefore, in order not to rack your brains over the choice of adhesive, you can use the carpentry one described above.

As an option, for such purposes there is an equally effective and very easy recipe for cottage cheese glue: just mix cottage cheese and slaked lime in equal proportions.

Important point! Use it as needed as it gets hard very quickly.

Casein

The casein version is also good for many materials, particularly for gluing leather or wood.

The process of its preparation includes two stages:

Isolation of casein itself from low-fat cottage cheese.
Preparation.

Stage 1

To get low-fat cottage cheese, soak it in a soda solution (1 liter of water and 1-2 tablespoons of soda) for 20 minutes.
Then the cottage cheese is washed well in running water, squeezed out and dried until hard.

Stage 2

Pour casein into a flat bowl.
While stirring the mixture, gradually pour in a thin stream of water (proportions - 1:2). The mass should be thick.
Then mix the mixture thoroughly by hand or using a mixer (about 30 minutes).

The glue obtained in this way will perfectly adhere to the necessary materials.

It also cures quite quickly, so try to use it within the first three hours.

Rating of the best manufacturers

Among the many brands and manufacturers, the most popular are:

Kleiberit 303.0 is the best PVA in terms of water resistance. The versatility of the products allows you to glue wood of various species (including exotic, hard), particle materials, and veneer. Positive features: water and frost resistance, quick setting. All this is achieved by observing all the standards specified in the instructions. When gluing, the parts must be tightly fixed for up to 10 minutes at a temperature of at least 10 degrees. After drying, the glue layer acquires a white tint, and operation at -30 degrees is permissible.
SOUDAL 66A has a polyurethane base and has the best adhesion. This is a waterproof material that can be used under harsh conditions. Glues all types of wood, including wet ones. When the adhesive mass dries, it begins to foam, which helps it spread into crevices and hard-to-reach places. Operating temperature -30 – +100 degrees. Gluing work is carried out both indoors and outdoors.
Titebond Original Wood Glue – produced for gluing wooden products. The base is an aliphatic resin, which provides bond strength and a yellowish tint. High loads on the connected wood product and exposure to water are allowed. Work is carried out not only with wood, but also with chipboard, plywood parts, and fiberboard.

Special glue for fabric

Women who are actively involved in needlework and constantly gluing some elements onto fabric know how important it is to have the right product at hand in time.

Here are three easy options for making your own glue:

1 option

Ingredients:

Flour - 3 tablespoons.
Water - 1 glass.

How to do:

Dilute the flour in a small amount of cold water and pour a thin stream into a glass of boiling water. Bring to a boil.

Option 2

Ingredients:

Flour - 1 tbsp. spoon.
Potato starch - 1 tbsp. spoon
Sugar - 1 tbsp. spoon.
Water - 1 glass.

How to do:

Mix all the ingredients thoroughly (so that there are no lumps) and bring to a boil.

Option 3

Ingredients:

Gelatin - 1 pc.
Flour - 2 tbsp. spoons.
Sugar - 1 tbsp. spoon.
Water - 1 glass.

How to do:

It is necessary to soak the gelatin in 1/3 water in advance overnight. In the morning, mix gelatin, sugar, flour in the remaining 2/3 of the water and bring to a boil.

The glue must be stored in a tightly closed container in the refrigerator.

Main components of the compositions

You can make almost any glue with your own hands - the only difficulty that may arise is in selecting the necessary components. Just a few years ago, it was considered the norm to make your own wallpaper product, and the wallpaper could last for decades. This material was prepared from flour and potato starch, since these products contain a lot of adhesives.

When creating tile adhesive, you will definitely need cement - it is this substance that can hold the tiles on the wall. To make rubber glue, you can use pieces of old rubber. The composition of the stationery includes gelatin and wood glue. There is even a special conductive glue that is used to fasten electrical circuits and mechanisms. Usually, to make it, you take a ready-made “Moment”, add grated graphite, and the electrically conductive composition is ready!

Dextrin glue

This option is suitable for all paper-related activities, be it quilling or origami. They can completely replace PVA glue.

The main ingredient is starch.

How to cook:

Place the starch in a heated oven. We increase the temperature to 160 degrees and simmer it for about 1.5 hours. Hot air breaks down starch and it turns into dextrin.
Take 3 tbsp. spoons of dextrin, mix with 5 tbsp. spoons of water and stirring continuously, heat until it is completely dissolved.
Add glycerin and mix again.
Let cool.

Kolobok

These, for example, include “Kolobok”. To create, you will need an inflatable balloon, paper cut into small pieces, and PVA glue. The creation process primarily involves applying glue (in a generous layer) to the ball, after which paper is placed on it.

The number of layers must be at least ten. Before applying each subsequent layer, the previous one must dry thoroughly. It is recommended to make the final layer of clean white paper so that after drying it can be decorated.

The technique involves using threads instead of paper, and the technique is in many ways similar to the previous version, since instead of paper, threads are applied to the ball.

Linoleum and acetone glue

To prepare it we do the following:

We take old, unnecessary linoleum, cut it into small pieces and place it on the bottom of a deep plate.
Then we take acetone (in a ratio of 1:2, where 2 parts are acetone) and pour it over the chopped pieces.
Close the lid tightly and let it brew for 12 hours in a dark place.

It perfectly adheres to products made of metal, wood, leather, porcelain, etc.