Best Glue Sticks
Hey all my Graphics Fairy artsy and crafty friends – it’s Rebecca here to share some of the Best Glue Sticks for Crafting! I promise to include some of my best gluing tricks and tips as well. You spend hours crafting your beautiful paper craft projects, journals, and DIY projects. Of course, you want them to stand the test of time. The glue you choose makes all the difference to the longevity and the durability of the art. Let’s see what glue sticks work best for the types of projects we love to create.
Important to Note: We will learn about some of the highest rated glue sticks available for today’s crafter. Although there are a number of superb brands of excellent quality, it is important to note that it really comes down to personal preference when determining the best option for you and your crafting activities. It would be very subjective to say that one particular brand is the best. So I will be giving you options to help you decide which is best for you. Interestingly, different art supply companies commonly market and sell a particular brand that they consider to be the best. One good example of this is St. Louis Art Supply in St. Louis, Missouri, who state “we’ve tried almost every glue stick out there, and UHU Stic (German made) is our favorite. That’s why it’s the only one we sell.”
What is a Glue Stick?
Glue Sticks are nifty little tubes of solid adhesive for light-weight surfaces like paper. You just rub the glue on your surface without getting sticky fingers. This adhesive is considered a dry glue and dries relatively fast. One of the great aspects of using glue sticks is that they typically are quite easy to use, so anyone can enjoy crafting with them. The plastic push-up container twists the product upward just like lipstick. As a matter of fact, that is what the idea was that inspired their invention by a German scientist in the late 1960s. Glue Sticks are for meant for light duty adhesion and are wonderful for the quick-sticking paper projects we love here at The Graphics Fairy. Plus, they are a handy and fairly mess-free way for children to use glue.
What are Glue Sticks Used For?
Simply put, glue sticks provide a good adhesive bond to the type of material being used that will allow them to remain firmly in place once the glue dries. This most often involves gluing paper and card stock together. It should also be noted that a glue stick should dry clear so it will not adversely affect the appearance of your work. Additionally, glue sticks should not cause any damage to the paper being used… like wrinkling or puckering found with wet glues.
Glue sticks are splendid for a wide variety of paper making crafting and design. In addition for use with basic paper crafts, they are great for collage, assemblage, tags, scrapbooking, card making, and crafts for children. Often glued to paper or cardstock are photos, ephemera, and other lightweight items. Some people use them for book repair as well.
Different Features of Glue Sticks
Many of us remember using glue sticks in school for creating relatively simple arts and crafts. Not generally considered to be especially strong adhesives, glue sticks are ideal for lightweight attaching and bonding of paper and card stock. Just understand that, for more advanced paper crafting at home or for office use, glues that provide greater adhesion will be necessary. Attaching embellishments to fabric effectively requires permanent fabric glue. Glue sticks come in several handy sizes. Some of the various features of glue sticks include:
- Washable
- Permanent
- Repositionable
- Acid-free
- Non-toxic
- Solvent-free
- Dyed (it works as a visual to see where glue is applied)
Most modern glue sticks are typically acid-free, non-toxic, and washable, making them safe and easy for children to use. Higher quality ones have stabilizers added to produce a long shelf life. The most important factor is probably the acid-free one, because acid-free adhesives are considered ‘archival safe’ since they will not yellow or become brittle with age.
Glue Stick versus Glue
One of the reasons for the popularity of glue sticks is that they produce what is known as a repositionable bond, meaning that you can move your crafting materials around if needed prior to the bond becoming ‘a permanent’ when fully dried. The dry time for glue sticks is normally 2-5 minutes depending on temperature and humidity. Glues such as high strength adhesives like E6000 and super glues are not repositionable and have much stronger bonds than any glue stick has. Liquid glues are almost universally on the stronger side of the spectrum versus glue sticks. These high-strength glues can crinkle, tear, or discolor paper, whereas this would be extremely rare with glue sticks. TIP: Glue Sticks have a tendency to dry up in the tube, so use them as quickly as you can. Store them in a plastic zip bag to help them stay usable longer.
Best Glue Sticks for Crafting
The following is a roundup of the best and easiest to find glue sticks on the market today. Please note that these are my opinions from years of crafting with paper and making books. Please let us know in the comments below if you have a favorite that is not mentioned. These are listed in no particular order. Note that Elmer’s has many different formulas not mentioned here.
- Elmer’s All Purpose Glue Sticks A teacher favorite, it is washable, non-toxic, acid-free, and photo safe. It dries clear and bonds to paper, cardboard, foam board, display board, and more. It applies smoothly without clumps and dries quickly.
- Elmer’s Craft Bond Extra Strength Glue Sticks Dries two times faster than Elmer’s regular glue sticks. A strong bond allows for use on display board, foam board, cardboard, and computer paper. It is acid-free and great for adhering pictures, photos, and embellishments.
- UHU Glue Sticks This one has a unique screw cap that prevents the glue stick from drying out. It is solvent and acid free and made from 98% natural ingredients. It can even glue styrofoam foam and textiles to paper along with photos. {My personall fave!}
- Scotch Permanent Glue Stick This one has an excellent reputation for quality. Can be used on a wide array of materials like paper, cardboard, photo paper, and fabric due to the strong bond.
- Scotch Repositionable Glue Stick Formulated to let you move items around until you have them situated exactly as you want them makes it perfect for scrapbooking.
- Avery Permanent Glue Stick A permanent adhesive, Avery is ideal for paper, cardboard, and photos, and has a photo-safe formula that is acid-free. Washes out of clothing for easy cleaning. ACMI certified.
- Gorilla All-Purpose Glue Stick It is a permanent adhesive that dries clear and is acid-free along with being non-toxic and easy to clean. For light-duty household projects safe for use on paper, fabric, photos, wood, foam board, card stock, stationery, and more! ACMI Child Safe Approved Product.
Best Glue Sticks for Children’s Crafts
Being acid-free, non-toxic, and washable, glue sticks are perfect for children. Just a little soap and water will clean hands and the work area. A disappearing purple dye that makes it easy to see exactly where the glue is being applied is what I consider the most important factor for kids. The dye then disappears, turning clear as it dries. Kids love using these too!
- Elmer’s Disappearing Purple School Glue Sticks
- Gorilla Kids Disappearing Purple
- Avery Glue Stic Disappearing Purple
Basic Steps for Gluing with Glue Sticks
It is so easy to use this product, it may seem silly to provide a tutorial. But there are a few tips and tricks to get the perfect bond. Move quickly as there is a 2-5 minute drying time. Apply the glue stick to one of the surfaces you intend to bond. You do not need to apply it to both sides. Apply glue stick to one smaller area at a time when marrying large surfaces, lifting the unglued portion to rub more glue on. Wash hands with warm water and soap if necessary.
- Apply the glue stick by rubbing across the surface. Sometimes it is difficult to see where the glue is going. I usually place the item face down on a piece of waste paper and rub the glue stick across the entire surface.
- Add a little extra glue on corners and edges of your paper for extra reinforcement.
- Flip the item over and place it on the receiving surface. Smooth it with your finger from the center outward.
- Work pretty quickly when repositioning items. If a corner or edge is not sticking, you can lift it and reapply in that area.
- Allow to dry.
I hope that you have enjoyed learning all about the Best Glue Sticks! I encourage you to play and experiment with different brands to find which one works best for you and how you craft. You might also like my Best Glues for Paper Crafts Post HERE and my Hot Glue Post HERE to see some other alternatives for your projects.
I also teach Crafting tutorials over on The Graphics Fairy Premium Membership site. You can find even more of my art, DIYs, and whimsical shenanigans on website RebeccaEParsons.com.
