Here’s a list of some of our favorite glues and when to use them (in no particular order):
Lineco PVA Ph Neutral Glue (Lineco Books by Hand pH Neutral Adhesive, Archival Quality Acid-Free Dries Clear and Quick Water Soluble) – Added to list June 8, 2024 – We recently tried this based on a YouTube recommendation and we like it almost as much as Art Glitter Glue. It’s a little less expensive, too.
Scotch Create Glue Stick It’s permanent and doesn’t usually pucker or warp paper like wet glue can. Not for heavy items like fabric, lace, buttons. (Though it’ll work with fabric for lightweight jobs) Good for gluing copy weight paper to other paper and to cardstock and chipboard, like when covering a cereal box with paper for a cover.
Aleene’s Tacky Glue – Cost effective wet glue with decent hold. Less likely to pucker when gluing cardstock to cardstock. Will usually pucker lighter weight papers (magazine, copy weight or regular printer paper)
Fabri-fix, Fabri Tac, Beacon 3-in-1 – Silicone based glue. Excellent hold in many situations. Our glue of choice when gluing fabric. A little pricey.
Art Glitter Glue – This is the gold standard of glues. A wet glue that’s less likely to pucker even lighter weight papers. Grabs & dries fairly quickly. It’s a bit on the pricey side, but a little goes a long way. It’s worth it to buy the little refillable kit with the tiny nozzle. Be sure to keep the needle in the nozzle when not in use to prevent it from drying out. Don’t lose the needle. Does not contain glitter. This has become our “go to” glue.
Tombow Aqua Mono Liquid Glue – An alternative to Art Glitter Glue, with good hold and a small nozzle for when you want a thin line of glue. More expensive than tacky glue, but still affordable. This is our glue of choice in our “go bag/toolbox” for taking to craft club gatherings.
Avery washable, acid free glue stick – Affordable, decent adhesion, but not necessarily permanent like the Scotch Create (see above). Not for anything that needs strong hold or will get a lot of wear. Doesn’t pucker paper like tacky glue will. We sometimes use when covering paper with larger pieces of paper or book pages, and will often come back and stick edges together more securely with Art Glitter Glue.
Hot glue sticks – Useful for making things like fabric flowers. May or may not hold various materials, like buttons, metal corners, etc.
E-6000 – We don’t use it often but it’s good for metal, like gluing on metal corner protectors.
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You might be tempted to buy cheap glue sticks at Dollar Tree, but don’t do it. They’re terrible. So is their glitter glue. 🙂