Know your puzzle glue | A know-how guide

To increase the value of our finished puzzle, some of us go the extra mile to preserve our work and display it at home as our trophy. In order to do that, we need the best puzzle glue to make it stable and secure first.

Well, as we all know, completing a disassembled puzzle gives us the feeling of accomplishment. This sense of accomplishment is because of the release of “happy hormones” in our body making us pretty satisfied for our job well done.

If you’re intrigued as to what those happy hormones do to our bodies while playing jigsaw puzzles, here are my articles Are you a jigsaw puzzle addict and Know what puzzles can do in PTSD about it.

Now, to go for that extra step, what are the things you should know in picking the right glue for your completed puzzle?

What glue is good for puzzles?

A glue that can act as an adhesive, setter, and varnish all in one is good to preserve and to protect your puzzles if you want to keep them for the long term. This triple purpose type of glue doesn’t only permanently stick your puzzle pieces with each other but can also add a final finish to it.

As an adhesive and setter, it can permanently secure the fit of each puzzle piece. So when it dries up, you can freely move it anywhere as one piece alone.

Here’s an additional tip, make sure to check if the glue you’re buying has a varnish finish to it.

This varnish finish will make the image of your puzzle stand out and will give you a nice protective coating to your puzzle. With that, it’ll be easier for you to dust it off and also will make its decay process longer.

You see, the majority of the puzzles we’re playing with are made up of cardboard which can crumble after some time. It’s inevitable but we can delay it if we put a protective layer using varnish.

What are the best glue for jigsaw puzzles?

Among the glues available in the market, Mod Podge is mostly preferred and best to use for jigsaw puzzles. Mod Podge acts as triple-purpose glue that will leave your puzzle protected for a long period of time on display.

Mod Podge is a known brand in the world of arts and crafts especially in decoupaging. This glue gives more strength and security than other crafts glue you can find. Also, it’s water-based thus making it easy to work on if you plan to use it in your other projects.

Can I use regular Mod Podge on a puzzle?

The use of regular Mod Podge on your puzzle is possible if you want to. It will work the way you wanted it to be however if you wanted to add some matte or shiny effect on your finished project, you should try using their other products with that ability.

Other Mod Podge you may want to consider to add an effect to your project are below. You can click the link to redirect you to Amazon if you wish to buy then now.

Also, there’s a link for other materials you’ll be needing for gluing your puzzles below so you won’t worry anymore about where to find them.

Which Mod Podge is best for puzzles?

This glue is perfectly designed to permanently fix your puzzles in place. It dries clear not only making your puzzle image stand out but also protected from dust and deterioration.

What you’ll like about this is that it also dries fast making your final touches for your puzzle short. You wouldn’t spend so much time waiting for it to dry.

However, even if this glue gives you that advantage, I still highly recommend you to give extra time in drying your work. This is to ensure the strength of the glue is even better. There’s no harm in doing so, right? It’s just to double-check things and make sure everything is well done.

How many coats of glue do you need for a puzzle?

If you have a high-quality puzzle, one layer of coating is enough to secure your puzzles. These puzzles have a crisp cut and fit each piece making them easy to stick. On the other hand, you can add a two-layer coating if you want to. Just make sure that you completely dry the first layer first before adding the second one.

In my own experience, I’d rather double-coat my puzzle, may it be a high-quality one or not. I wanted to make it completely filled with glue in all spaces there must be.

You may see that double-coating your puzzle may add up more expense on your part because you’ll be needing more glue for that but it’s not.

Well, double-coating your final work will give you an assurance that it’ll be strong enough, in the long run. Also, because there’s another layer of protection right there, it’ll help you lessen the hassle of recoating it once your first coat loses its strength in due time.

You won’t need to buy another glue for that. You won’t be spending hours putting it all in one piece again. And most of all, you won’t stress yourself cleaning.

So, sometimes thinking ahead of the “worst” case scenario is not bad. In fact, it will give you a chance to think of a solution in advance.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

To make your puzzle experience worth it, make sure to use efficient puzzle glue. In this way, you will not only preserve your precious puzzle, but you can also display your winning “trophy” from the product of your hard work and perseverance.

You may see a variety of arts and craft glue everywhere. They all serve their purpose as an adhesive, and you can use them if you wanted to.

The catch is, not all of them have the final coating and finish you may want to preserve your final work in a long period of time. Try considering this for one of your future projects and see the difference when you use ordinary craft glue and triple-acting glue for yourself.

Have fun puzzling!