Water resistant glue for paper?
 

Thanks for inviting me to join. I was looking for a paper forum, and this looks very active! I see a lot of interesting threads to explore.

I know there are plenty of craft glues for paper, but I need something water or humidity resistant. I am gluing small tabs onto textured heavy card stock, that will hold dangling elements that have some weight to them. I sell my work at art fairs, outside. Under high humidity conditions, or getting rained on (though I try not to let that happen, occasionally I am caught by surprise), the tabs fail and fall off as the glue re-hydates, and the weight of the dangle pulls it off.

I have tried a couple of solvent based glues, but they are not viscous enough for the heavy paper, and also soak right in and fail to stick.

It should dry clear or milky, the brown foamy polyurethane solvent based glues ooze out and look terrible.

If water based, it does not have to be water PROOF, just not give up the ghost at the first sign of rain. What I need is high viscosity, not a spray, and water resistant when dry.

I know these are a lot of requirements! I have tried looking at �This to That,� but there is no information there for my conditions. Thank you for your help.

Hi there and welcome to Splitcoast! This is a very interesting question!

Can I ask which kinds of white or gel glue you've tried to eliminate those?

I live in a humid area so I'm very interested in the answers! :)

Eliminated are mucilage, Elmer’s no-wrinkle glue pen, all common white glues, glue sticks, Aleene’s tacky glue, also Aleene’s Tacky glue gel, Craft Bond Gel Glue for paper. :(

What about Perfect Paper Adhesive by US Art Quest?

After reading the description, if in doubt, I'd suggest you ask Susan to confirm how this will work in the humidity:

USAQ Home of Mica and Perfect Paper Adhesive - USArtQuestt

H'mm. Sounds promising! It does say it's good for materials in moist environments. Description on their site makes it sound a bit like an acrylic medium (which gives me the idea to go find mine and test that tonight).

I just called Michael's, they don't carry it.

I was going to suggest a gel medium. You can transfer some to a small squeeze bottle or apply with a brush.

While not made for paper, I use Fabri-Tac when I need to glue something heavy to paper. Unless you are using vellum or very thin paper, it always stays "stuck" no matter what environmental challenges I put it through.

Would Glossy Accents be worth a go? I haven't needed to try it under these conditions but it dries very hard so I'd be surprised if it rehydrates enough to fail. It dries totally clear and it certainly has the high viscosity - just squeeze it from the bottle.

I love the Tombo Multi and it dries quickly.

Thanks!
 

Thanks for the ideas. I couldn�t find my own gel medium: it�s buried in my studio somewhere (sigh). I already have something called Fabri-fix, that might be similar to Fabri-tac. I will go to a craft store this afternoon and see if they carry any of these. Otherwise I�ll order online. I'm glad I found this great resource!

I just purchased a big tube of cheap gel medium to use as a paper to paper adhesive. It is made by Daler Rowney and I bought it at Walmart for about $4 and so far so good. I didn't want to use my Golden or Liquitex mediums. This is water-resistant and can easily be transferred to a smaller container.

I bought the Tombo Multi and some more gel medium today. I am going to test them tonight. That was a good deal you got on yours, Glitter Queen! Mine was $ 10, on clearance. I went ahead and got it, as I have other uses for it.

Fabri-Tac is awesome! They sell it at Walmart! There really is no substitute for Fabri-Tac, really other fabric glues are not the same!

I wouldn't count out the Glossy Accents. I use it to stick stuff on my cards that nothing else will reliably hold.

The only other solution if you can't find a glue is mechanical - attach with a brad, eyelet, staple or some such.

I've never tried Yes glue, but someone on the forum might be able to comment on its suitability for your application.
Dea

You could also try Outdoor Mod Podge. Its water resistant, so it might work for you. I use it to coat coasters and I haven't had it fail when exposed to moisture.

I tested 3 glues :

Acrylic Matte Medium.
Tombow Multi Liquid Glue, green cap.
Craft Bond permanent Fabric Glue

… by gluing the tabs on as I normally do. Then the next day I sprayed all of them with water, several times, and then tried pulling on the tabs after the thick paper had absorbed some water. All had a drying time of at least 16 hours but not a full day. I was intentionally sloppy, to see if some were more forgiving than others.

Best adhesion with no softening: Matte Medium.
Second best: Tombow Multi Liquid Glue, green cap.
Third best: Craft Bond permanent Fabric Glue


Acrylic Matte Medium

Pros: best adhesion. Being matte, any ooze hardly showed. Cons: had to apply with brush. Would be easier if I found a squeeze bottle to transfer it into. Slow tack: had to press and hold it in place till it “caught”.

Tombow Multi Liquid Glue, green cap.

Pros: fine tip made it very easy to apply. Fast tack: applied, stuck it down, it gripped. Cons: it DID re-hydrate slightly: it started to look milky again. I was able to pull up the tab slightly but when it dried again it went back to having a firm hold. Dried glue stays tacky to the touch a long time. Dried glue is shiny, so ooze is noticeable.

Craft Bond permanent Fabric Glue

Pros: Easy to apply with fine (ish) tip, not as easy as Tombow. Okay tack, did not have to hold it down much before it gripped. Cons: it DID re-hydrate slightly: it started to look milky again and pull away, more than Tombow. Dried glue is shiny, so ooze is noticeable.

So for now, I’ll use the Tombow, as it was so easy to use and results were good: until I get a squeeze bottle for the matte medium.

Yes! paste is water based and can be diluted so I don't think it would be suitable for this.

I've tried every glue, glue dot, and sticky tape that you can think of. My favorite glue, hands down, is "Art Glitter Designer Dries Clear". I now buy it in the large 8-oz bottle and use that to refill my smaller 2-oz bottle for handy use. I also use the accessory applicator tip on my 2 oz bottle. This applicator tip allows you to apply the thinnest line or smallest dots of glue that you have ever seen. You might think it's just for glitter because of the name, but it's not. I use it in all of my cardmaking now. I use small dots of glue, it gives you a few seconds to make sure the piece you are gluing is in place where you want it, and does indeed dry clear. If I use a bit too much and it oozes out, I use a toothpick to wipe it away when wet, and my project is not ruined. It dries without warping or other distorting your project. I can't live without this stuff. I might sound like a commercial, but no I have no connection to this company whatsoever beyond being a faithful customer.

Elmer's wood glue is waterproof.

While you are using the Tombow Multi, you could try a clip clothespin to hold your tab and dangles until the glue dries. That will allow you to go on to other pieces while the glued ones dry. I use this glue all the time and it has always dried quickly---until I moved to S. Arizona and am experiencing humidity from monsoon season (something I did not expect when moving to the desert SW). I have some tiles that I glued which are adhering well, but where the glue oozed a bit and I wiped it, it is still tacky after weeks---maybe it always will be!

Crafter's Pick glue holds tight heavy objects but dont know if you've used it before as it is a white glue. Its my go-to glue for that reason along with Crystal Accents.

Some glues are repositional when dry if not adhered to a second surface. Becomes like a post it note. I believe Tombow with the green cap is such a glue. Keep this in mind. I don't know if they would suit your purpose.

I like making DIY arts and crafts products. A water resistant Glue is a necessary part of Art and Craft Kits. This forum is quite useful and I would like to visit again for knowledge sharing.

What about crazy glue?

Thanks for the good ideas!

Gorilla glue is waterproof and comes in many types. Here's a list of others.
10 Best Waterproof Glues of 2020 | MSN Guide: Top Brands, Reviews & Prices

I have started using glue on box projects because double-sided adhesive is not only expensive, sometimes it's a serious pain to deal with. As a new crafter, I don't have oodles of different glues, and at the moment, I think think any of the glue in my inventory is appropriate for the job.

I'm gluing wrapping paper (roughly 45 lb or 150 GSM) to chipboard, which is fairly hard and thick, but for sure both paper and chipboard can absorb water.

I'd love to find a glue for this that wont show under the paper as bumps. Any ideas? Suggestions appreciated.

Maybe Mod Podge?

Isn't that the same stuff that is used for Decoupage? If so, awesome, because I fully intend to test out that technique this year.

When I did decoupage years ago, I used wheat paste, but I don't see why you couldn't use Mod Podge.

Yes, decoupage is one of the things Mod Podge is used for. It's a glue, sealer and varnish and comes in many different finishes (matt, satin, gloss, outdoor, glitter). I think Ranger's Glue n Seal is very similar stuff but Mod Podge has been around a lot longer!

FYI - Glue n Seal was discontinued a few years ago.

If you spread your glue/paste/adhesive out you shouldn't have lumps. Use a brush, palette knife or old credit/gift card to spread it. When I glue thinner papers to a surface I apply the adhesive to the heavier layer and the smooth the thinner layer over it.

Thanks Vic, I’ve had my pot for years and rarely use it so I hadn’t kept tabs on availability - the info should save anyone else looking for it!

I remembered because Wendy Vecchi had created a technique using it & she was dismayed when it was discontinued.

I just used the last of mine, too.