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The 7 Best Glues For Scrapbooking
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Scrapbooking is a fun and creative activity, and using a good adhesive will help your project last for years. The best glues for scrapbooking are acid-free to keep photos, papers, and embellishments firmly attached without damaging your keepsakes or making the paper pucker. The right glue for your project depends on whether you’re working with pictures, paper, glitter, or other materials, and you may want to get more than one type to make a stellar scrapbook.
First, to ensure your scrapbook and photos last without turning yellow, all of the glues on this list are acid-free — but you will have a choice between wet and dry formulas. Wet adhesives such as liquid glue, paste, spray, and glue sticks, are often stronger and longer-lasting than dry adhesives. On the other hand, dry adhesives, including glue dots, double-sided tape, and photo corners, are usually easier to reposition and gentler on photos if you want to remove them later on.
While dry glues are generally mess-free, easy to apply, and good for pictures, the various types of wet adhesives have pros and cons depending on your materials. For example, an archival-quality glue stick is easy to use and great for lightweight materials but may not go on as smoothly as a liquid glue. Alternatively, you can opt for an all-in-one paste that’s good for heavier material, like cardstock, and also works to seal and finish decoupage and other crafts. If you want to add small embellishments to your scrapbook, like metal charms, liquid glue is your best choice. Finally, spray glue may be helpful when covering a large area with adhesive, but you’ll want to use it in a well-ventilated area. And be sure to choose a wet adhesive that you can apply precisely, since excess glue may cause paper to wrinkle.
With that in mind, these are the best glues for scrapbooking that’ll get your creativity flowing and keep your precious memories collected.
1. The Best Glue Stick
Compatible with paper, display board, foam, cardboard, and more, this glue stick is acid-free and photo-safe. It’s incredibly versatile and offers lots of control during application, and the formula is nontoxic and washable. A favorite among Amazon shoppers, these glue sticks have earned a 4.8-star overall rating after more than 2,000 reviews. Plus, each order contains four glue sticks.
One crafter’s take: “This glue stick glides very smooth and easy. The adhesive is good.”
2. The Best Liquid Glue
This clear liquid glue is a perfect way to add lightweight embellishments to your scrapbook pages and is also good for creating a permanent bond for paper materials. The glue is nontoxic and acid-free, and it features two tips — one fine pen and one broad — for easy and precise application so you don’t use too much and create puckering. The glue can be used on paper, wood, fabric, and metal, and it also works as a clear top coat for sealing paper.
One crafter’s take: “I use this when I scrapbook to glue on die cuts. So far, it's the best glue I've ever used. You can drip small drops, lines or use the other end for larger pieces. Once glued, your die cut is on to stay!”
3. The Best Glue Dots
This three-pack of glue dot dispensers includes permanent and removable dots, and ones for poster board. The dots are acid-free and nontoxic, and require no drying time. Plus, the removable and poster board dots are able to be repositioned. The glue dots are safe to use on paper, foam, metal, glass, plastic, and more. This multipack is backed by more than 1,300 five-star ratings.
One crafter’s take: “I absolutely love these glue dots - poster, permanent, and removable all did the trick. Very helpful to have a dispenser, as I was able to position dots exactly where I needed them in my scrapbook.”
4. The Best Paste
Mod Podge crafting glue is a classic choice for art projects, and this paper-specific formula has a 4.7-star overall rating, with more than 2,000 reviews. This water-based scrapbooking glue is made for paper-on-paper projects and is acid-free, nontoxic, and dries with a clear finish in two hours. In addition to affixing mementos, the paste can also be used as a sealer. You’ll need to use brushes to apply, and when you’re done crafting, you can clean up any excess glue with soap and water. Choose from a gloss or matte finish.
One crafter’s take: “As a collage artist I work with a mix of finished and raw papers, mod podge for paper is the only adhesive that I've found to work equally as well on any finish of paper. It goes down smoothly and is less prone to cause paper warp or bubbles than basic PVA school glue. The dried finish is nearly invisible, hardens well and can be varnished upon project completion without becoming milky.”
5. The Best Self-Adhesive Photo Corners
These self-adhesive corners let you slip photos in and out without damage. Designed for use in scrapbooks, the paper corners are acid-free. According to reviewers, they will also firmly attach to poster board, card stock, and even smooth walls. In addition to black, you can choose from five other colors, including gold and silver, as well as multicolor packs. The popular photo corners have a 4.7-star overall rating and more than 4,000 reviews.
One crafter’s take: “These have been great for my scrapbook project! A lot of our old photos have writing on the back and these allow me to display them without causing any damage.”
6. The Best Double-Sided Tape
This double-sided Scotch tape is a mess-free way to affix photos and other paper mementos in your scrapbook. There’s no drying time, and the tape is acid-free, photo-safe, and permanent — but according to reviewers, you can make adjustments once or twice during application if needed. The tape cuts clean with the provided dispenser, and one roll is 8.33 yards long.
One crafter’s take: “I am always buying this tape. I prefer double sided tape to glue for a lot of things. This works great for school posters and project boards. Anything where you want paper or pictures to be attached smoothly with no ripples like you sometimes get from glue.”
7. The Best Spray Glue
Non-wrinkling and able to be repositioned, this spray glue works with a ton of mediums, including photos, paper, wood, metal, plastic, fabric, and glitter. Since it covers large areas quickly, it’s a good choice for bigger photos and surfaces. The spray has more than 1,700 five-star ratings and is acid-free and low odor, though you’ll want to use it in a well-ventilated area.
One crafter’s take: “This product works great for applying photos in scrapbook, and being able to pull back up for positioning.”
