Wood glue is often used by carpenters and professionals working in the wood industry.

Do you want to repair a wooden object or construct something made of wood? Then, you’ve come to the right place.

I’ll discuss wood glue, its origins, benefits, disadvantages, popular brands, and more in this guide.

If you want to know the two types of wood glue, how they can be used, and how each type cures, stick around.

After this article, you’ll know enough about wood glue to never worry about repairs or wood-related projects again.

I’ll even recommend a couple of the best wood glue brands.

Keep reading to find out more about this!

What is Wood Glue?

Wood glue, also known as carpenter’s or yellow glue, is best used for wood. It can be used for softwood, hardwood, pieces of wood, and most other types of wood.

When talking about wood glue, I’m referring to the two main types that everyone should know about:

PVA Glue

The first type of wood glue is PVA or polyvinyl acetate. It’s a synthetic resin that is prepared through the polymerization of vinyl acetate.

Although this type of glue isn’t among the best adhesives, it’s a great choice for bonding wood.

PVA glue is a water-based emulsion, and the other type of wood glue is a better choice!

Aliphatic Resin

This is what professionals refer to as carpenter’s glue. Aliphatic resin has more water and heat resistance than PVA glue, so it’s a much better option for outdoor applications.

Theoretically, PVA glue can be used for outdoor projects, as well. But its low resistance to water and heat makes it less durable than aliphatic resin.

Moreover, you can paint and sand aliphatic resin after it has cured. This isn’t something you can do with PVA glue.

Another difference is that aliphatic resin has a better grip during the assembly, while PVA glue is more runny and slippery.

Despite this, both types of glue have the same application range and similar tensile strength.

However, the aliphatic resin contains more components and thus has more water and heat resistance. It’s also a bit stronger than PVA glue!

Who Invented Wood Glue?

Polyvinyl acetate was first discovered in 1912 by Dr. Fritz Klatte in Germany. There’s nothing special about this story.

Ever since its discovery, polyvinyl acetate has become more and more popular.

Many people started adopting and using it in wood-related applications and the automobile industry.

But polyvinyl acetate was first turned into the adhesive in the early 1950s.

As for the carpenter’s glue or aliphatic resin, it came at a later date because this adhesive is PVA glue with more components.

Only during the last decades did aliphatic resin appear and become popular.

How Does It Work?

Because they’re essentially the same thing, PVA glue, and aliphatic resin work in the same way.

Both are water-based adhesives, so they rely on the evaporation of water to cure.

When the liquid glue is applied, the moisture starts to evaporate from it, leaving behind a solid plastic-like bond.

What’s left behind is the aliphatic resin or the polyvinyl acetate. These two components harden to a plastic-like solidity.

Naturally, both PVA glue and aliphatic resin work on most types of wood but remember that the more porous it is, the better the bond.

Non-porous and smooth pieces won’t bond so well.

As I said, the aliphatic resin has more water resistance than PVA glue, so if you work outdoors, make the right choice!

The resin is also more resistant to high temperatures, which further expands the number of applications you can use it in.

But remember that if the humidity in the room is too low or too high, the glue won’t cure properly.

For more specific use-cases please read my guide on glues for glass to wood.

How Does Wood Glue Cure?

Essentially, both PVA glue and aliphatic resin need dryness in the air to cure.

Through the evaporation process, water is eliminated from the mixture and what’s left is a hardened plastic-like substance that’s pretty solid and durable.

With PVA glue, it does dry to a solid state, but it’s not good at bonding smooth wood.

Instead, it needs a porous and rough surface to bond properly. You may need to use sanding paper to roughen up the surface before using PVA glue.

Or just use aliphatic resin because it bonds easier. However, neither adhesive will dry and cure fast. They’ll take their sweet time instead!

Because water takes a while to evaporate, even in a dry environment, the curing process also takes longer.

You should also clamp the materials together for about an hour if you want the curing process to be complete. Then, it should take approximately 24 hours to cure.

I recommend not touching the glued material until 24 hours have passed because you could break the integrity of the bond.

What Is the Tensile Strength of Wood Glue?

Wood glue may be specially designed for wood but it’s not that strong. This applies to both PVA glue and aliphatic resin.

Their tensile strength doesn’t support large-scale and weighty applications, so don’t try using them.

Wood glue can bond with non-porous wood and form a sufficiently strong bond, though.

PVA wood glue can hold up to 300 pounds per square inch, so a PSI of 300. For what it’s worth, it’s not a bad value if you don’t use it for weighty applications.

However, polyurethane glue has a PSI of 3500, while two-part epoxies can get up to 6000PSI. Wood glue is extremely weak compared to those adhesives.

However, the aliphatic resin is a bit stronger than PVA glue, which is also why I recommend it.

Wood glue will remain flexible after it dries out, so its impact resistance is fairly strong.

When it comes to wood, you need flexibility and impact resistance because most wood-related applications should be dynamic.

Think of it this way – you’re using aliphatic resin to glue the floorboard.

You’ll be walking on the floorboard daily, and if the glue weren’t flexible but brittle, the bond would break immediately.

Moreover, PVA glue isn’t water-resistant, heat-resistant, or solvent-resistant. In other words, it’s not a good idea to use it for outdoor projects.

Aliphatic resin glue, on the other hand, is a better choice. This type of adhesive is both water and heat-resistant.

As I said, the aliphatic resin isn’t much stronger than PVA glue, so don’t count on it when bonding weighty applications!

What Can You Use Wood Glue For?

Wood glue is naturally good at bonding wood. Both PVA and aliphatic resin glue are great choices for wood applications.

Below, I’ll give you a few examples of specific applications where you can use wood glue:

You can make furniture using wood glue

Wood glue is great at bonding thin pieces of wood, like when you need to place the wood veneer on another piece of wood.

Check out my guide on wood glue for furniture for more info.

Wood glue is very thin, so it doesn’t leave any gaps, leading to a tight bond.

My guide on glue for balsa wood will offer you additional tips.

Using nails and screws, you can use wood glue to make joints

You can repair chips and small cracks in the floorboard using wood glue.

Alternatively, you can glue back together with a piece of wood that’s been broken in half.

Wood glue is great for common arts and crafts projects, like when you’re working on a birdhouse.

Do you want to learn about the difference between wood glue and liquid nails? Check out the linked guide.

But remember that PVA glue isn’t waterproof or heat-resistant. So, you shouldn’t use it for outdoor projects.

Aliphatic resin is a better option for that. There are several brands of wood glue out there, and you may be confused about what brand to go for.

I recommend choosing Titebond, Elmer’s Glue, Gorilla Glue, or Franklin International. These four brands are the most popular ones!

Cons of Wood Glue and How to Remove It

Wood glue has its downsides. One is the low tensile strength, and another is the lack of water and heat resistance for PVA wood glue.

Its weight-bearing capacity is very low, so the range of applications you can use it for is also low.

Moreover, regular wood glue won’t bond to non-porous wood.

As for removal tips, this is where things get less complicated. We know that wood glue cures when the water evaporates.

Then, if you want it to stay liquid, spray it with some water, and you can wipe it away with a cloth.

Even if the adhesive dries, spray it with some water, wait for some minutes, and it should soften enough so you can wipe it away.

Alternatively, use alcohol or acetone to soften it, if water doesn’t work. Lastly, you can use a hairdryer to heat the glue and then scrape it off.

As I said, temperature resistance is very low meaning that the hair dryer will break the bonds immediately.

Check out my complete guide on removing wood glue for more tips.

Wrap Up

Wood glue, whether it’s PVA glue or aliphatic resin, is too weak for large-scale applications.

Its tensile strength is too low for serious woodworking. But for small-scale repairs and crack filling, it’ll do an amazing job. Its flexibility gives it an extra advantage when working with wood.

I recommend aliphatic resin glue instead of PVA glue, thanks to its high water and heat resistance and higher tensile strength!