The Top 7 Best Glue for Foam

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.

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

There is a plethora of glues available for the average consumer, so it’s important to ensure you have the right one for your project. The most common types to encounter are:

• Craft
• Wood
• Super (cyanoacrylate adhesives)
• Hot
• Fabric
• Silicone

These are frequently recommended forms for working with foam, but not all of them are effective. In particular, wood glue is specially designed to adhere primarily to the natural fibers present in boards, and it thus makes a poor adhesive for craft projects. Hot glue can also become an issue because it has the potential to melt low grade foam, destroying a sign or school project.

This leaves craft, super, silicone, and fabric as potential options. A couple of these options can be eliminated by looking at the basic properties of foam.Foam, especially the foam board used for school projects, children’s costumes, and general crafts, is a highly porous material. Porous means there are tons of microscopic holes on the surface which can absorb liquid, changing the general structure of the material.

Because foam is porous, you do not want to use an adhesive intended for a nonporous substance like wood, plastic, or even metal. This eliminates super glue, which rapidly becomes less effective when it is absorbed.

This leaves craft, fabric, and silicone adhesives. These three are the most effective on foam, but the best one is silicone because it is not affected by the innate properties of foam, is strong, and will not degrade under high temperatures or too much wear and tear. Craft adhesives, meanwhile, are more suitable for foam projects completed by children because it is easy to use, is only semi-permanent, and often comes in large quantities.

How to Glue Foam Together

Foam is a fun material, but gluing it together can rapidly go wrong. If you need to know how to glue foam sheets or pieces together, simply follow these instructions.

1. Have a clean work surface with little dust or debris
2. Prepare your pieces of foam by ensuring they are clean and not broken or brittle
3. Line up the pieces and then pull out your glue of choice
4. Apply a generous coating to one side of one piece of foam
5. Using gentle pressure, push the pieces of foam together
6. Hold them for 15-20 seconds to ensure the adhesive starts to dry

During this process, it is essential you do not apply too much pressure to the foam. Doing so can result in damage to the pieces that cannot be undone. You should also expect glue to drip, particularly if you are working with small pieces that are difficult to stick to another surface.

Further, it can also be a good idea to keep a dissolving or weakening agent near you while completing any foam work. The majority of adhesives used for foam are designed to be permanent and rapid drying, so mistakes are difficult to undo. Consider plotting all of your steps before beginning any work.

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.

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.