Foam is a classic material for arts and crafts because of its versatility and light weight. However, getting pieces to stick together can be a major chore, especially if you keep using glue sticks and cheap glues bought from the dollar store. Instead of struggling, you should use one of the best glue for foam. Instead of forcing you to do too much research, we’ve compiled 7 of the best glues for foam currently on the market. Any one of these will help you complete your project well before the deadline.
Click here to skip to our recommended pick!
- Dries clear
- Is not absorbed
- Water-resistant
- Heat resistant
- Waterproof
- Fast drying
- Easy to control
- Anti-clog bottle
- Does not crack or peel
- Anti-clog tip
- Does not drip
- Medium viscosity
- Medium viscosity
- Suitable for all foam types
- Shock-resistant
- Easy to apply
- No scent
- No-clog bottle
Our Overall #1 Rated Pick
3M Super 77 Multipurpose Permanent Spray Adhesive Glue
- Easy to use
- Fast bonding
- Bonds to many materials
- Low soak in
One of the benefits that you get with this glue is that it offers very fast and aggressive tax so you don’t have to clamp materials together for very long. This stuff should bond within about 15 seconds or 30 minutes maximum.
What’s cool is that you do have a bit of time to reposition materials before the glue sets in totally. What is also nice is that this group does not really soak into fabrics. Moreover, it also won’t turn yellow overtime.
What does need to be said is that this is industrial grade glue that has industrial strength plus the ability to bond with a wide range of very lightweight materials, including things like small pieces of fiberglass, foam, felt wood, metal, plastic, insulation, paper, Cardboard, fabric, leather, and more.
Pros
- Bonds to most surfaces
- Fast drying
- User friendly
- Very versatile
Cons
- Only for lightweight materials
- Spray cans are bad for the environment
Glue for Foam – Buying Guide
On the surface, glue appears to be a simple substance. It is any non-metallic substance used to hold two pieces of material together and can be made from a broad range of ingredients, including natural plants and even parts of animals – but thankfully almost no one uses horse hooves anymore. Before you choose the best glue for your foam project, there is some information you should consider. First and foremost are the kinds of glue available, followed by how permanent you want the adhesive to be.
Types of Glue for Foam
The first important thing that you need to know here is that there are different types of glue that you can use for foam. Of course you need to find the right kind of glue that works on foam.
Polyurethane Adhesives
One type of glue that you can use for home is PU adhesive, otherwise known as a polyurethane adhesive. This type of adhesive cures with heat and generally room temperatures is enough to do this. This type of glue works on virtually all materials, whether they are porous or not. This includes wood, rubber, metals, cured epoxy, leather, glass tile, concrete, brick, stone and many types of plastics.
With that being said, this stuff will not stick to both polyethylene and polypropylene plastic as well as other very smooth substances such as Teflon and silicone. What’s nice is that polyurethane adhesives can have different additives in them that can make them either very brittle or flexible.
Keep in mind that in very dry areas, this type of glue might set very slowly or not reach its full potential. Moreover, this type of glue is not quite as strong or as moisture resistant as epoxy. However, with all that said, it works perfectly fine for foam.
Super Glue
Super Glue or CA Glue is another option that you can go with, particularly for smaller projects. The one and only thing that you need to keep in mind with super glue is the fact that it will actually slightly melt the foam underneath as it bonds it. Therefore it is fine for joining various pieces of foam together, but probably shouldn’t be used for visible surface applications.
Also keep in mind that while super glue it has great weight bearing capabilities, it doesn’t do well with impact. Super Glue is quite moisture resistant, but it doesn’t do well with high temperatures or with solvents. All of that said, Super glue is rather perfect for gluing together 2 pieces of foam.
Hot Glue
If you are going phone for the purposes of Arts and crafts, then one of the best things you can use his hot glue. Hot glue is not quite hot enough to actually melt the foam underneath, so that is a big benefit. Although hot glue is definitely not the strongest type of glue out there, it should work more than well enough for arts and crafts.
AND MORE!
The fact of the matter here is that foam is one of the easiest substances to glue with most types of glue working. Besides polyurethane glue, super glue and hot glue, you may also use wood glue, carpenters glue, construction, adhesives, spray adhesives, contact adhesives, or two part epoxies. They will all work just fine. Keep in mind that basic white craft who will work for simple meats as well. There are even special Styrofoam glues out there, although these may qualify as overkill if you only need to perform basic foam gluing tasks.
How to Glue Foam Board – Step by Step
What we want to do right now is to provide you with a step-by-step instructional on how to glue foam board. But that being said, we are going to keep things quite general because we don’t want to tell you exactly which type of glue to use. That said, for the purposes of this article, we’re going to stick with some good old super glue.
- The first thing that you need to do here is to make sure that the Styrofoam or whatever kind of film you are gluing is totally clean and dry. So, if need be, take a wet or damp cloth and wipe down the Styrofoam surface and then use a dry cloth to dry it.
- All you have to do now is to apply the glue being used to one of the surfaces and then press the two pieces of foam together. It really doesn’t get easier than that. Of course, whether or not you have to clamp the foam together is going to depend on the type of glue you use. The reason we are telling you to use something like super glue is because it tends to stick and cure nearly instantly, thus making life a bit easier for you.
The Best Glue for Foam
There are a lot of different fantastic glue for foam on the market. These were selected due to their high reviews, pricing, and effectiveness. Any of these would be a fantastic choice that would serve most projects well. Let’s look at the benefits and pitfalls of each and what real-life reviewers have said about the formulas.
The top best product [hide]
3M Super 77 Multipurpose Permanent Spray Adhesive – Spray Glue for Foam
- Aerosol adhesive
- Great for lightweight materials
- Rapid bonding
Loctite PL 300 Latex Construction Adhesive
- Permanent
- Waterproof
- Precision application
Loctite Clear Silicone Waterproof Sealant
- Waterproof
- Shock-resistant
- Dries clear
Permatex 80050 Clear RTV Silicone Adhesive
- Can be bent
- Waterproof
- Dries clear
Bob Smith Industries BSI-142 Clear Foam-Cure – Craft Glue for Foam
- Dries clear
- Compatible with all foam types
- Large bottle
Aleene's Felt and Foam Tacky Glue
- Effective on felt and foam
- Thick formula
- Easy to control
Gorilla Original Waterproof Polyurethane Glue
- Waterproof
- Durable
- Flexible
FloraCraft Non-Toxic Foam Glue – Non-Toxic Foam Glue
- Non-toxic
- Water-based
- High viscosity
FAQ
Does glue for foam work on poster board?
Does rubber glue work on foam?
Are spray adhesives effective on foam?
Does craft glue work on foam?
Conclusion
When you have a poster board, costume, or school project that needs to be created, you need to find a good glue to hold the foam together. Although foam has unique properties, we identified 7 of the best glues for foam. Our top pick is the Loctite Clear Silicone Waterproof Sealant because of its strength and flexibility, but many of the other silicone and craft glues on this list will also be effective.
