How to Glue a Puzzle
The first step to display or frame your puzzle is gluing the pieces together. Follow these tips and tricks to make sure all of your hard puzzling work shines!
Before You Begin
It’s important to put a piece of thin plastic, wax paper, or something similar underneath your puzzle before you glue. This will prevent a big mess from the puzzle from adhering itself to your table or surface. Make sure to select a flat surface to make sure your puzzle dries flat. This will allow you to properly display your piece of art later.
How To Select The Right Puzzle Glue
There are many types of puzzle glue including spray-on, powder, and liquid. Our puzzle experts prefer liquid because it is pre-mixed, unlike the powder, and will coat more evenly than spay-on types. Some brands, like Educa, provide powdered glue with larger puzzles over 500 pieces. If you choose to use powder – just make sure you mix it correctly, and it should work great! You want a glue that seals transparent, solid, and strong. Glue packaging will indicate the puzzle dimensions and number of puzzles it will cover.
Applying the Adhesive
The easiest way to glue your jigsaw puzzle is to actually pour the glue right on top of the puzzle and then use a piece of cardboard or a business card to spread the layer of glue around. There is typically a brush attached to the bottle cap and you can use that to spread the glue along the edges of the puzzle. Some glue will take up to 4 hours to bond, seal and dry.
Be careful! Brushing or sponging on too much glue at once may cause the puzzle to swell or peel – ruining your hard work!
The Drying Process
If the edges curl up somewhat after the glue has dried, try turning the puzzle over and brushing a coat of glue on the backside of the pieces. When this dries, it will usually pull itself flat again. Alternatively, if the entire puzzle is dry, you can cover the surface and place it underneath any weighted flat object that is bigger than a puzzle. After a day or so of being pressed, it should stay flat.
Alternatives to Traditional Glue
Avoid using glue at all on metallic puzzle or puzzles that have high-quality finishing (glossy, lenticular, etc.) For these, we recommend using Peel & Stick Puzzle Savers by MasterPieces. This is an adhesive paper that is applied to the back of the puzzle and holds it together in preparation for mounting.
Displaying Your Puzzle: Mounting & Framing
The best way to display your glued puzzle is to have it dry-mounted or framed in glass. If you try to hang it after just gluing, there is a good chance pieces will fall out with time. Dry mounting firmly secures the puzzle to a sturdy foam board, perfect for framing. You can dry mount your finished puzzles at your local Hobby Lobby or most other craft stores that offer framing services.
There are several quality puzzle glues on the market, and we carry a selection of brands. Find plenty of glue options here at Puzzle Warehouse, and enjoy your favorite puzzles forever!
