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Common adhesive fasteners.
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Understanding fasteners is important to fixing things. Besides nails, screws, and bolts (see Selecting the Right Fastener), adhesives are the most common fasteners. Adhesives secure the surfaces of two materials together. There are many types of adhesives, most of them designed for use with specific materials and under specified conditions. Adhesives come in liquid, solid, or powder form, and some require a catalyst to activate them. Select adhesives based on their characteristics, strength, setting time and temperature, and bonding method. For example, cyanoacrylate (instant glue) is preferred for permanently bonding rigid plastic parts that don't face temperatures over 150 degrees. Some adhesives are waterproof while others are not; some need to be held together (clamped) while drying and others don't. Read the instructions on the label for the appropriate application and use. You'll also see references to specific adhesives in various Fix-It Guides. To assist you, refer to our Adhesives Table.
Adhesives Table - Properties of popular household adhesives.
| Type |
Use |
Applicator |
Strength |
Set Time |
Cure Time |
Flex |
Water Resistance |
| Acrylic |
Metal, glass, wood |
Included (two-part) |
Excellent |
5-10 minutes |
12-24 hours |
None |
Excellent |
| Contact |
Plastic laminate, wood veneer |
Brush, trowel, roller |
Good |
Short |
24-48 hours |
Soft |
Excellent |
| Cyanoacrylates (instant glue, super glue) |
Plastic, rubber, metal, ceramic, glass hardwood |
Squeeze tube |
Excellent |
1-4 minutes |
12-24 hours |
None |
Excellent |
| Epoxy |
Any materials |
Brush or wood stick |
Excellent |
5-30 minutes |
1-12 hours |
Medium to Hard |
Excellent |
| Hot melt |
Fabric, leather, wood |
Glue gun |
Excellent |
Contact |
5-10 minutes |
Medium |
Excellent |
| Latex glue |
Fabric, carpet, paper |
Brush or roller |
Fair |
Contact |
4-48 hours |
Soft |
Good |
| Latex mastic (construction adhesive) |
Floor and ceiling tiles, paneling |
Trowel or caulk gun |
Good |
Contact |
1-4 days |
Medium to Hard |
Fair |
| Paste |
Wallpaper, thin paper |
Brush |
Good |
30 minutes |
4-24 hours |
Soft |
Good |
| Plastic |
Wood, ceramic, glass, plastic, pottery |
Brush |
Fair |
5 minutes to 8 hours |
1-3 days |
Medium to Hard |
Poor |
| Polyvinyl resin |
Wood, plywood, chipboard, paper |
Brush or wood stick |
Good |
1-4 hours |
24-36 hours |
Medium |
Good |
| Resorcinol |
Wood, plywood, hardboard, chipboard, paper |
Brush or wood stick |
Excellent |
4-12 hours |
24-36 hours |
Firm |
Poor |
| Rosin mastic |
Ceramic, plastic, wood |
Trowel or caulk gun |
Good |
Contact |
1-4 days |
Soft |
Excellent |
| Rubber (styrene butadiene) |
Wood, concrete, plastic, paper |
Brush or spreader |
Good |
Contact |
24-72 hours |
Soft |
Good |
| Urea formaldehyde |
Wood |
Brush |
Very Good |
15-30 minutes |
8-24 hours |
Medium |
Good |
| Urethane |
Wood, ceramics, paper |
Brush |
Good |
5-10 minutes |
8-12 hours |
Medium |
Good |
| White (PVA: polyvinyl acetate) |
Wood (indoors) |
Brush |
Very Good |
5-10 minutes |
1 hour |
Medium |
Fair |
| Yellow (aliphatic resin, carpenter) |
Wood, metal, glass |
Tube or caulk gun |
Excellent |
15-30 minutes |
1-3 days |
Soft |
Fair |
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