5 Best Wood Glues in 2018

We’ve chosen Elmer’s E7330 as our best choice product this week. If you’re looking for a glue for creating furniture or any other carpentry projects, this is the product for you. It’s well respected amongst hobbyists and carpenters as one of the most powerful and versatile wood glues on the market.

There’re a few reasons why it is so well thought after. First, it will bond almost anything to almost anything else. It’s not just for use on wood. In fact, it can be used on stone, metal, ceramic, foam, glass, and much more. That means you don’t have to have lots of separate bottles of glue taking up room in your shed. Secondly, it’s waterproof and resists heat, mold, and mildew. This is super important in carpentry because the wood that you are gluing together is likely going to be exposed to lots of different environments. So, it might seem like it has held together well, but you need that joint to be solid for years to come. That’s why, when you are creating pieces of outdoor furniture, you should choose a product like this one to ensure that the joints will hold.

Second in our list had to be “America’s best-selling glue”. Gorilla Glue has only been around for a decade or so, but it has quickly become one of the biggest glue brands out there. There’re two reasons for this – the amazing adverts (if you haven’t seen them, get to YouTube) and the fact that the glue is as strong as the adverts say. Gorilla Glue was initially being used in Indonesia on teak furniture. The founders of Gorilla Glue quickly realized that it was one of the most versatile and impressive adhesives they had ever seen, so they brought it back to America.

Their wood glue is a water-based adhesive that is perfect for use on all hardwoods, softwoods, and natural wood composites. That means it can be used on pretty much any carpentry project. Like the Elmer glue, it only takes around 20 or 30 minutes to bond but takes a full 24 hours to fully cure. So, you can use whatever you’re gluing after 30 minutes, but we’d definitely recommend leaving it for the full 24 hours. If you want to get the most out of this glue, you should leave it clamped for longer than the 30 minutes. Scroll down to find advice on how to get the perfect bond with wood glue.

Titebond 3 Ultimate Wood Glue is another excellent product that’s pretty hard to distinguish in quality from the first two. If you type it into YouTube, you’ll find multiple woodworking pros singing its praises, saying it’s the best adhesive wood glue you can get your hands on.  Titebond has been in the game for over 80 years, so it stands to reason that they know a thing or two about wood glue. In fact, Titebond 3 was one of the first wood glues to pass the ANSI Type 1 waterproof tests, possible making it the best wood glue for furniture outdoors. Like we have talked about already, a wood glue that passes the Type 2 water-resistant test can be used outdoors, but if you are working on something that is going to be damp all the time – like a plant pot or a water feature – it is definitely better to use a wood glue that is fully waterproof.

There are three different types of Titebond glue (original, premium, and ultimate). This has come from years of innovation and product development. This product – the ultimate version – is better in every way than their previous glues and is a fantastic outdoor wood glue. It’s designed to have a strong initial tack, which means it sticks together quickly, but it also offers a longer timeframe to adjust the wood if you get it wrong. You can still adjust the wood for 8-10 minutes after application, giving you plenty of time to get it right.

The eagle-eyed readers amongst you will have noticed that this glue has a similar name to the last one. In fact, Franklin International 5005 Titebond II is the premium version of the last glue that we talked about in the last section. It’s slightly cheaper than the Titebond 3 Ultimate glue but is still an impressive wood glue. The reason it is cheaper is the fact that this is the water-resistant version. It doesn’t provide the same level of waterproofing but can still withstand moisture. So, it’s perfect for projects that are going to reside indoors or will only have limited exposure to the elements. We would definitely recommend saving your money if you don’t think you need the full waterproof version.

Like the Titebond Type 3 glue, it is FDA approved for indirect food contact, so it could be perfect for making a chopping board or gluing together kitchen furniture. Plus, it can be easily cleaned up with water. This means that, if you apply too much glue to the joint, you can wipe it down quickly and easily without ruining the wood. It also looks fantastic when you sand it down, which makes it perfect for detailed carpentry projects.

Evo-Stik is well known for making serious adhesives. Their products are regularly used in the construction industry, so you know that they can make a pretty strong glue. That’s why we’ve chosen the Evo-Stik Weatherproof Wood Adhesive as our premium product in this list. It costs a bit more than its competitors, but you get your money’s worth in strength. It’s an extra-strong adhesive that bonds considerably stronger than the wood itself. That means, if it ever snaps or breaks, it’s because the wood has failed, not the glue.

This fast-drying wood glue actually sets in five to ten minutes. That means, if you are gluing in a rush or gluing many items together, this could be the product for you. To fully set it takes around 24 hours, in which times it dries completely clear. This gives you a quality finish that shouldn’t ruin the quality of the woodwork. Even if you are left with some excess glue on the wood, it’s very easy to sand down. Plus, you can paint over it or even stain it to match the wood color.