Most glues will bond to MDF (medium-density fiberboard), but only the best glue for MDF will ensure a tight bond with speed and convenience and without any abrasion. In this guide, we are recommending the top 5 MDF glues on the market. We hope you can use these reviews to make an informed choice and select the best glue for your woodworking project.
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- Sets quickly without wasting time
- Cleans quickly with water or damp cloth
- Easy to use
- Easy to clean
- Highly water resistant with ANSI/HPVA Type-2 water resistance
- Easy to use
- Superior adhesion
- Easy to clean
- Trustworthy and reliable glue
- Strong adhesion
- The glue is easy to clean and the dispensing tip does not get clogged with dried glue
- Strong adhesion
- Makes woodworking easy and fast
- Allows repositioning when done within a few minutes
- No runny mess
- Fast curing action
- All-purpose application
Our Overall #1 Rated Pick
Titebond 5004 II Premium wood glue is the best-selling glue for woodwork. It is water-resistant and mainly designed for exterior uses. The best part about this glue is that it is stronger than wood, sets and cures quickly, and you can easily clean up spills and messes using water. The FDA has approved this glue for indirect food contact.
Benefits
This wood glue sets quickly within an hour for working and within 24 hours to put under stress.
- The premium wood glue creates a sturdy, transparent bond
- It does not need extra pressure or heat for setting
- This glue is resistant to water and heat; it is the first 1-part glue to pass the ANSI test for water-resistance
- It is non-toxic and approved for non-direct contact food use
- It can be easily sanded for flush applications
- Titebond 5004 II Premium wood glue has outstanding bond strength
Technical Specifications
- Titebond is a cross-linking PVA or polyvinyl acetate type of glue. It has a honey-cream color
- It is ideal for woodwork, furniture making, radio-frequency, and hot-press gluing systems
- It conforms to ASTM-D 4236 standards
- Required clamping pressure: 100 to 150 psi for softwood and 175-250 psi for hardwood
Pros
- Dries quickly but also gives you time to reposition if needed
- Strong adhesive properties
- Cost-effective
- Easy to use and clean
- Water resistant
Pros
- Dries yellow instead of clear
What is MDF?
MDF stands for medium-density fibreboard. It is a type of wood that has been processed to have an even texture and density with few knots, which makes it perfect for furniture construction. MDF does not last as long as other types of woods because it is made from poor quality materials, but the reason many people like working with MDF is because it’s so cheap.
MDF is a common material in furniture construction. You can find it at home improvement stores, and companies that specialize in custom millwork use MDF for many of their projects as well.
How to choose the best type of glue for MDF panels?
The best type of glue for MDF is Water-based and PVA glues.
Water-based glues are the most popular because they’re relatively easy to work with. All you need is a wet rag and some time for it to dry, then your glue should be set in just about 15 minutes. There’s really no chance of things getting messy or going wrong when using water-base glue to attach MDF pieces together. It also provides good adhesion that will hold up over time even though it won’t last quite as long as PVA.
PVA glues offer a bit more flexibility than water-based ones do but at the expense of durability – if you use this type of adhesive on two MDF surfaces, eventually the material will start peeling off from where it was glued together due to the glue not being able to withstand the stretching.
Liquid Nails is a good adhesive to use if you need something stronger. This type of glue provides much better adhesion than water-based or PVA glues, but it takes time and patience to apply. The downside is that it’s not as easy to clean up after using this type of adhesive too – so make sure your surfaces are well protected before applying the Liquid Nails!
A two-part epoxy typically tastes more like one part since they’re made with two parts combined together, making them even easier to work with in many cases because there’s no mixing involved (just shake the tube for 15 seconds). These types of glues can be used on just about any surface due to their high degree of flexibility which won’t break down over time like water-based or PVA glues.
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Different Types of MDF Glue
Are you short on time or just want a quick answer?
Check out our list below for a summary of our results.
- Titebond III Ultimate Waterproof Interior/Exterior Wood Glue (Our Overall #1 Pick)
- Gorilla Wood Glue for the Toughest Wood Jobs on Earth
- Elmer’s Carpenter’s Wood Glue Non-Toxic Heat-Resistant Easy-to-Clean
- Franklin International 5005 Versatile Wood Glue
- DAP 00157 Rapid Fuse Fast Ready to Plane Sand and Stain Woodwork Glue
- FastCap 80070 2P-10 All-Purpose Jel Adhesive
You’ve probably moved up and down in the aisle of a hardware store looking for the perfect woodworking glue. You may have had the following options at your disposal: white, yellow, plastic, resin, epoxy, etc. So, which glue is right for you? Here are some basic MDF glue types and their characteristics:
PVA or Polyvinyl Acetate
The white and yellow varieties of glues are PVA or polyvinyl acetate. Both are great for most indoor/exterior woodworking jobs. They are safe, easy to use, dry quickly, are non-messy, and also inexpensive.
All PVA glue types are an emulsion of polyvinyl acetate particles in water glues (chemical formula (C4H602)n). The tiny particles of PVA coalesce into a rubber-like solid to form a semi-transparent glue line. The clamping time for this type of glue is short, but it still needs at least 24 hours for the glue to reach its full strength.
White PVA glue is the original PVA glue. It is somewhat runny compared to yellow PVA glue. Yellow PVA glue is aliphatic resin glue. It is also a type of PVA glue, but it has been modified to give slightly different working characteristics compared to white glue. Yellow glue, as compared to white glue, is thicker, sands more easily, and is also more heat resistant.
Both yellow and white glue are equally likely to fail under wet conditions.
Plastic Resin Glue
These are also called urea-formaldehyde glues. Plastic resin glues are highly water-resistant, and experts recommend them for cabinetmaking, laminated countertops, cutting boards, etc. with plastic resin glues, you have to mix a powder with a catalyst like water or resin. The resulting glue forms a rigid plastic-like polymer bond, which is very strong and impervious to water. The powder in plastic resin glues comes in various shades of brown, so you can customize it to your wood’s color.
A downside to using this type of wood glue is the exposure to formaldehyde, which although negligible, could lead to skin irritation.
Epoxies
Epoxies are two-part glues that can be of the slow set or quick-set varieties. The quick-set epoxies can set anywhere between 1-10 minutes, and they also cure in a few hours. Slow-set epoxies could take 24 hours to harden and up to a week to cure.
The Best Glue for MDF
The top best product [hide]
Titebond III Ultimate Waterproof Interior/Exterior Wood Glue
- Titebond III bonds stronger than wood and eliminates clamping.
- It has an easy applicator tip that reduces wastage.
- The versatile glue is ideal for interior and exterior jobs.
- It is non-toxic glue that also easily cleans up with water.
- Rated No. 1 by the professionals, this glue features superior bond strength, sets and cures quickly, and also sands easily.
- It is FDA-approved glue which is completely safe to use around pets and humans, and is non-toxic and eco-friendly.
- Titebond III is the first ever one-part, water cleanup glue to be offered.
- It has superior adhesion power, is completely water-resistant, and is very easy to clean.
Gorilla Wood Glue for the Toughest Wood Jobs on Earth
- Gorilla Wood Glue clamps in 20-30 minutes and cures in one day.
- The versatile glue is useful for gluing hardwood, softwood, natural wood composites, and all indoor/outdoor woodwork projects.
- Made in the USA and compliant with FDA standards.
- Dries to a natural color, forming a natural bond line.
- Gorilla woodwork glue is the glue trusted by carpenters, professionals, and hobbyists.
- It is easy-to-use, water-based glue that is perfect for outdoor/indoor projects.
- The PVA glue is water-resistant, forms a natural bond line and is ideal for exterior work.
- Gorilla Wood Glue is available in 4 oz, 8 oz, and 1 gallon bottles.
Elmer’s Carpenter’s Wood Glue Non-Toxic Heat-Resistant Easy-to-Clean
- Elmer’s E7310 carpenter’s wood glue resists mildew, mold, and heat.
- It is sandable and paintable.
- It bonds stronger than wood.
- It is waterproof and stainable.
- This wood glue can be used for exterior and interior jobs.
- Elmer’s E7310 is the only waterproof and stainable wood glue available.
- It comes in different size bottles from 8 oz to 1 gallon.
- This non-toxic glue is safe for use around pets.
Franklin International 5005 Versatile Wood Glue
- Franklin International 5005 Titebond II premium wood glue is versatile glue ideal for all kinds of woodwork.
- It provides a strong initial tack and is excellent for sanding.
- The water-resistant glue is ideal for interior and exterior work and sets quickly.
- The number 1 selling formula is easy to clean with water.
- Franklin International 5005 Titebond II premium wood glue has strong adhesion.
- It is water-resistant.
- It’s available in a 32oz-sized bottle.
- You can use this glue to clean vinyl records. Apply a thin layer, let it dry and peel it off. The dust comes off from the grooves.
DAP 00157 Rapid Fuse Fast Ready to Plane Sand and Stain Woodwork Glue
- Rapid fuse wood glue also works on metal, glass, and rubber.
- It allows repositioning for up to three minutes.
- This wood glue forms a clear bond: no foam, no dripping, no mess.
- DAP 00157 sets in 30 seconds and cures in 30 minutes.
- Apart from gluing wood, you can also use it for particle boards, metal, glass, ABS, stone, steel, and melamine.
FastCap 80070 2P-10 All-Purpose Jel Adhesive
- 2P-10 Jel formula is great for trim carpentry.
- The glue does not run and that means less mess.
- It sets in 10 seconds and cures in 30 seconds.
- FastCap 80070 2P-10 has a two-year shelf-life.
- When used without the activator, it gives you a little time to reposition your pieces
Glue for MDF: FAQs
Does PVA Glue Stick to MDF?
How Do You Seal MDF with PVA Glue?
Is PVA Glue the Same as Elmer’s Glue?
Conclusion
Selecting the best glue for MDF or woodworking need not be a sticky proposition. The fact is that there is no one all-purpose glue for woodworking, but there are an awful lot of glues out there that can create a bond stronger than wood.
For general woodworking jobs and for sealing MDF sheets, we recommend the Titebond 5004 II Premium wood glue because it is non-toxic, easy to work with, and also great for furniture making as well as general indoor woodworking applications. We hope the above reviews help you make an informed choice when selecting the best MDF glue for your project.
