Did you get wood glue somewhere you didn’t want to, and now it’s stained?

This guide will teach you how to remove wood glue from wood with three main solutions:

1. Sanding – for unfinished wood
2. Heat dryer – for finished wood
3. Chiseling – easy to damage the wood

Other guides on the internet will tell you that various substances like cooking oil, lemon juice, mineral spirits, baking soda, or acetone can remove wood glue.

That’s false. From experience, we can tell you that these substances don’t make it easier to remove the wood glue from wood.

What works are true and tested methods like sanding and chiseling? Warming the wood glue also works, but you need to chisel it.

Keep reading to find out more about how to remove wood glue!

For more specific tips, check out my guide on removing wood glue from furniture.

Sanding – For Unfinished Wood

This is the best method to remove wood glue from wood.

Manual sanding is a real hassle, so we recommend investing in an orbital sander.

If you’re a woodworker, this is your best investment. But if you want to remove the wood glue from the floorboard or something, manual sanding is fine.

You’ll need 150 or 180-grit sandpaper. Lower grit sandpaper would slow down the process greatly.

Follow the steps below to remove the wood glue:

1. Take the piece of sandpaper and rub it along the glue stain. Do this until the glue is gone;
2. Now, spray some water on the wood and see if any discoloration appears. If there’s discoloration, it means the glue is still there;
3. Keep sanding down until you can’t see any more discoloration. That’s when you know the wood glue is gone.

Wood glue doesn’t only stain the wood on the surface. It also penetrates deeper into the wood and clogs the pores.

Surface sanding often doesn’t resolve your problem completely. That’s why the water test is great at seeing if there’s any more glue on the wood surface.

Heat Dryer – For Finished Wood

If the wooden surface is finished, you can’t sand it because you’ll also damage the finish this way.

A hairdryer is the best alternative to this. Stick with a hairdryer! Heat guns also work but tend to burn the glue and wood.

For this, you’ll need:

• A hair dryer
• A spatula or putty knife (plastic)
• A rag

Follow the steps below to remove wood glue with a heat dryer:

1. Turn on the heat dryer and aim it at the glue;
2. Keep the heat dryer there until the glue starts to melt;
3. Use a spatula or putty knife (plastic) to lift the glue and remove it from the wood;
4. Place the putty knife at a 45-degree angle and scrape it along the wood to get the glue away.
5. Use the rag to wipe off any remaining glue on the wood surface.

Try not to use a metal putty knife because it’s quite easy to damage the wood. You don’t want that.

Using a hairdryer will keep the finished wood intact, as well.

Chiseling – Easy to Damage the Wood

Chiseling is your other option when you don’t have sandpaper or a hairdryer around the house.

For this, you’ll only need a chisel. Follow the steps below to remove the glue:

1. Place the chisel at a 15-degree angle next to the glue blob;
2. Try to get the chisel under the glue by moving it up and down;
3. If that doesn’t work, grab a hammer and slowly hammer the chisel under the wood glue;
4. Be as gentle as possible, so you don’t chisel into the wood by mistake;
5. Remove the wood glue using this technique.

Technically, this method is very easy if you know what you’re doing. It does require a patient and gentle hand because it’s just as easy to damage the wood.

But what if you don’t have a chisel, hairdryer, or sandpaper around the house? If that’s the case, you can try other solutions.

Are you looking for wood glue for furniture? Check out my dedicated guide.

Are There Other Solutions for Removing Wood Glue?

Yes, there are, but they are highly inefficient.

Acetone and vinegar have some effect when sprayed on the wood glue. They tend to make it softer but only a bit.

The wood glue is also easier to remove using conventional means.

For this solution, you’ll need:

• Acetone or white vinegar
• A dull knife or something to scrap the glue;
• Cotton swabs

Follow the steps below to remove the wood glue:

1. Soak the cotton swabs in acetone or vinegar
2. Put the cotton swabs on the wood glue stains and leave them there for 15 minutes;
3. Remove the cotton swabs and use a dull knife or a scraper to scrape off the wood glue;
4. Repeat this process if the glue isn’t soft enough yet.

The acetone/vinegar act as dissolvers that warm the glue and make it softer. You can remove the glue from the surface with steel wool or a dull knife.

This solution doesn’t work because acetone and vinegar aren’t good at dealing with wood glue on wooden surfaces.

How Can You Remove Wood Glue from Waxed Wood?

Waxed wood has other properties compared to regular wood. The glue will interact differently with this type of surface.

Similarly, the glue removal methods above will not work for waxed wood. To remove the wood glue from this surface, you’ll need:

• Absorbent paper
• Hot iron

Follow the steps below to remove the wood glue:

1. Put several sheets of absorbent paper on the glue stain;
2. Turn on the hot iron on the lowest setting and run it over the absorbent paper;

The paper will absorb the glue from the wood surface but be careful that you don’t burn the paper.

Once the papers are soaked in glue, remove them. If necessary, use more absorbent paper to soak up the rest of the glue.

For more tips, head to my guide on the best glues for wood veneer repair.

How Can You Remove Wood Glue from Varnished Wood?

Varnished wood is exceptionally delicate and vulnerable. Any wrong move will damage it.

To remove the wood glue from varnished wood efficiently, you’ll need:

• Warm water or white spirits
• A cloth

As for how you do it, follow the steps below:

1. Soak a cloth in warm water or white spirit;
2. Rub the glue stains on the wood very gently;
3. Keep doing this until you wipe off the glue completely.

While this method is not efficient, you might succeed in removing the wood glue from the surface.

Chiseling and sanding the glue are even worse solutions because they’ll damage the wood.

A hairdryer would be a better solution since you can soften the glue before you wipe it off with a cloth.

How to Remove Wood Glue from Teak?

Teak is a durable timber often used in shipbuilding and furniture making. It’s dense, close-grained, and very smooth in texture.

But it also has unique properties compared to other types of wood. Removing wood glue from teak requires:

• A sponge
• Water
• Methylated spirits (denatured alcohol used for stain removal)
• Very fine sandpaper (high-grit)
• A cotton ball

Follow the steps below to remove the wood glue from the teak:

1. Soak a sponge in water and wash the wood glue stain;
2. Soak the cotton ball in methylated spirits and remove the wood glue;
3. Remove the rest of the glue with sandpaper (take it slowly).

Be careful with the sandpaper because it’s very easy to damage the wood surface.

We wouldn’t recommend sanding if it weren’t for the unique properties of teak. After you wash the glue out, there will be some leftovers on the surface of the wood.

That’s why you should sand it down!

Conclusion

Wood glue is a bit different from other types of glue. It’s designed to bond to wood, and removing it from wood will be harder.

The best methods of removing wood glue from wood are:

• Sanding 
• Chiseling
• Heating with a hair dryer

If you’re dealing with finished, varnished, or teak wood, try using household substances like acetone, water, or methylated spirits.

Even though they’re not as efficient as the methods above, the nature of the wooden surfaces makes it almost impossible to use sandpaper or a chisel.

Good luck, and if you have any questions, leave them below!