Question 1

What kind of puzzles are there?

Accepted Answer

Puzzles for adults come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Jigsaw puzzles for adults cover a litany of subject matter, complexity, shapes, cut styles, and methods. While you can get anywhere from 250 up to 32000-piece jigsaw puzzles, there are lots of adult-specific, fun, engaging, and challenging puzzles within the 1000 to 2000-piece range.

There are also 3D puzzles for adults. While these are not technically jigsaw puzzles, and their piece count is significantly lower than most jigsaw puzzles, 3D puzzle piece shapes and configurations are largely the same as their 2D counterparts'.

Question 2

How can I store and transport my unfinished puzzle?

Accepted Answer

If your jigsaw puzzle is still very much a work in progress and you want to either store or transport it safely, you need first to ensure that it is on a sturdy, moveable base. You can purchase a purpose-specific design like a roll-up puzzle mat or portfolio-like puzzle board, or even a large, low-walled container.

Question 3

How can I seal my finished puzzle and hang it on the wall?

Accepted Answer

There are a few options for preserving your puzzle: adhesives, overcoat epoxies, and clear contact paper (my preference).

Clear Contact Paper Method - I recommend this medium because it’s fume-free, fast, and inexpensive.
1. Cut a sheet of transparent contact paper that is slightly larger than your puzzle.
2. Line the sheet up over the puzzle, and beginning with one corner, gradually, slowly unpeel the contact backing. As you unpeel the backing, adhere it to the puzzle surface by lightly gliding your finger over the paper. Avoid using too much pressure, as this will make it difficult to detach the contact paper from the puzzle in the case of an application mistake.
3. Once you’ve laid all of the contact paper down, trim the excess away.
4. For a final finish, either go over the surface with a rolling pin several times or do yourself one better by slowly running a blow dryer on medium heat over the puzzle.

Overcoat Epoxy Method
1. If you haven’t already built your puzzle on a sturdy, single-use backing, do so now. Slide the backing (I recommend using a sheet of cardstock posterboard) between the puzzle and the work surface. If necessary, trim the backing to size.
2. Take a rolling pin or similar contrivance and roll it over the puzzle's surface to ensure that the puzzle is level from tip to toe.
3. Apply a layer of puzzle epoxy to the entire surface of your jigsaw puzzle. Follow the epoxy maker’s drying time directions before framing the finished piece.

Frame It - After completing one of the above methods, pop your puzzle into a frame of your choice and hang that puppy up.

Question 4

What are puzzles made of?

Accepted Answer

For the most part, modern-day jigsaw puzzles feature high-quality recyclable cardboard or chipboard. Other, less common materials include solid wood, particleboard, resin, and terse foam.

The printed puzzle is then precision cut (usually with a laser) to create the snap-in-place pieces. Many of the manufacturers we reviewed in our guide today also use chipboard, making the pieces thicker, easier to handle, and giving them that gratifying snap-action feel.

<img src="../wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Elderly-woman-hands-doing-jigsaw-puzzle-at-home.jpg" alt="elderly woman hands doing jigsaw puzzle at home" width="950" height="373" />

Question 5

How long does it take to put a 1000-piece puzzle together?

Accepted Answer

This depends on the complexity of the puzzle’s design. Some 1000-piece puzzles, like Springbok’s Groovy Records, take as little as 4 to 8 hours to complete. Others, like the 631-piece Ravensburger Krypt Gold puzzle, can take up to several days of total time to solve.

Question 6

Do puzzles help with anxiety?

Accepted Answer

Yes. And there’s a lot of science to back this claim up. According to a comprehensive article by the Huffington Post, “Jigsaw puzzles provide a challenge that gives…goal-seeking behavior an outlet. With each puzzle piece found, the puzzler gets a little hit of dopamine, which soothes the brain, and this reward then climaxes with the puzzle's completion.”

These little hits of dopamine are especially helpful in times of extraneous crises, like the pandemic. During the initial shelter-in-place phase, puzzle companies around the world sold out of product at rates never before experienced. People needed something screen-free to engage with, something that required a lot of focus and offered a predictable outcome within their immediate control. Medical professional Michael Vilensky states, “With a puzzle, with enough time and effort, we can control the outcome, know it will end, and experience a sense of relief and accomplishment when it’s finished.”

Immersion in jigsaw puzzle solving has been shown to mitigate the depression-inclined default mode network in the brain, too. The activity also lowers participant heart rates, blood pressures, and evokes meditative senses of peacefulness.

Question 7

What is the best way to start a 1000-piece puzzle?

Accepted Answer

After you’ve found your workspace, sorted your pieces into edges and other categories, you can start building. Begin with the puzzle’s edge pieces and build the border first. This method is useful in visualizing the scale of the puzzle and the approximate area of each section. Then move on to one of the segregated categories and focus on locating where it belongs relative to the border. If the puzzle contains high-contrast, detailed sections, begin with those collections first. Leave the low detail/plain pieces for later, as they’re harder to place without some development for context. For further reading, take a look at How to do a Jigsaw Puzzle Like A Pro.

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