Wood Glue Guide: Selleys Adhesives for Strong Bonds

What is wood glue, and which Selleys wood glue should you use?

Wood glue is an adhesive used in woodwork and carpentry to bond timber. Many glues will stick to wood; not all of them will hold a timber joint over years of the wood expanding, contracting and taking load. Selecting the right product is what stops a joint coming unstuck.

The decision is almost entirely made by two questions: does the piece live indoors or outdoors, and are you gluing wood to wood or wood to something else? The Selleys Aquadhere range is organised around exactly that.

The four Aquadhere products

Aquadhere Interior — indoor timber joints

Selleys Aquadhere Interior is a high quality PVA wood glue for use around the home and on DIY projects — furniture, cabinets, school projects. It suits softwoods, hardwood, MDF and particleboard. It dries clear and does not stain wood, and any mess cleans up easily with water.

Its limits are exactly what the name says: it is not waterproof, and it is not suitable for structural or exterior applications.

Aquadhere Exterior — outdoor timber joints

Selleys Aquadhere Exterior is an industrial-grade polyaliphatic cross-linking PVA developed for professional woodworkers and craftsmen. It produces bonds stronger than most woods and is weatherproof, which is what makes it the right pick for anything that lives outside.

Ideal for	Dowelling, joinery, laminating, veneering, cabinet and furniture making
Bonds	Softwoods, hardwoods, particleboard, chipboard, plywood, MDF
Clamp time	30 minutes softwoods; 1 hour hardwoods
Do not stress joint for	24 hours
Maximum bond time	24 hours (longer in cold, damp conditions or with dense timbers)
Coverage	Approximately 5 m² per litre
Pack sizes	250mL, 500mL, 1L, 4L
Clean up	Water while wet; sand or scrape once cured

Indicative data only, not intended for the preparation of specifications.

It can be chiselled, routed or turned once cured, and it is suitable for exterior use in non-structural applications.

Aquadhere Quick Set — small, fast repairs

Selleys Aquadhere Quick Set is a fast-setting PVA for small repairs and projects, in 250mL and 500mL. Like Aquadhere Interior, it is not water resistant and is not suitable for exterior or structural applications.

Aquadhere Durabond — wood to almost anything

Selleys Aquadhere Durabond is the one to reach for when only one side of the joint is timber. It is a solvent-free, moisture-curing polyurethane — not a PVA — with excellent bond strength and water resistance, suitable for both interior and exterior use.

It bonds wood to almost anything: various timbers, MDF, metal, ceramics, glass, masonry and most plastics. It is acid and chemical resistant, heat resistant up to 140°C, and it expands as it dries, so it can be used for gap filling. It is sandable — and unlike other PVA glues it will not clog sandpaper or the timber — and it is paintable and stainable after sanding.

How to use it: wear gloves, because the adhesive bonds to skin. Apply a thin layer to one surface only, since the glue expands and foams as it cures. Assemble within 10 minutes and clamp firmly until cured, approximately 4 hours. Maximum strength comes in up to 24 hours depending on humidity and material porosity.

Two details that change the result: for bonding smooth materials such as glass, plastics or metals, sand or roughen the surface first; and high humidity or damp surfaces cause increased foaming and a weakened joint, so clamp or weight tightly to reduce it.

Construction adhesives for wood

Selleys Liquid Nails is an all-rounder for construction tasks and works well on wood and timber alongside metal, aluminium, concrete and tiles. It forms a strong bond after 24 hours, continues strengthening over two to three days, and reaches full cure in seven days.

Be aware of its limits before substituting it for a wood glue: it is not suitable for mirrors, not for metals heated by direct sunlight, not for permanent water immersion, and it should not be used as the sole bonding agent for structural bonding. It also specifically advises against use in tightly clamped joints such as cabinet making or joinery — which is precisely where a PVA belongs instead.

Choosing in practice

Indoors, wood to wood, clamped joint: Aquadhere Interior, or Quick Set for something small.

Outdoors, wood to wood: Aquadhere Exterior.

Wood to metal, glass, masonry or ceramic: Aquadhere Durabond.

Sheet materials to a frame, or a job where clamping is impractical: a construction adhesive from the Liquid Nails range.

Limitations — where wood glues should NOT be used

• Aquadhere Interior and Quick Set — not waterproof, not water resistant, not for exterior or structural applications.
• Aquadhere Exterior — not recommended for joints subjected to constant high stress; not suitable for below-waterline applications or continuous submersion. Avoid contaminating it with iron and steel, since it will stain brown or black in the presence of rust (iron oxide) or the tannins in many woods.
• Aquadhere Durabond — not for below-waterline applications or continuous submersion; not for polyethylene or polypropylene plastics (test other plastics first); not recommended for structural applications; cannot be used below 5°C; and because it requires atmospheric moisture to cure, its use may be restricted in very dry conditions.
• All of them — none is a structural adhesive. Anything carrying real load still needs mechanical fixing.

Surface preparation and clean up

Surfaces must be close fitting, clean, dry and free of dust and grease. For Durabond, one surface should be porous, and very dry porous surfaces should be wiped with a damp cloth for a minute before bonding, because the adhesive needs moisture to cure. Clean old surfaces with acetone or mineral turps; for stubborn residue such as old paint, a paint stripper is recommended.

Uncured Aquadhere PVA comes off with water. Uncured Durabond needs acetone or turps, applied immediately after use, and cured Durabond must be scraped, cut, chiselled or sanded off. Store all of them in a cool dry place — Durabond is humidity sensitive, so seal it tightly.

Common questions about wood glue

What is the strongest Selleys wood glue?

Aquadhere Exterior produces bonds stronger than most woods, meaning the timber generally fails before the glue line does. Durabond is described as super durable and high strength, and it is the one that bonds wood to non-timber materials.

How long do I clamp a wood glue joint?

Aquadhere Exterior: 30 minutes for softwoods, one hour for hardwoods, and do not stress the joint for 24 hours. Durabond: clamp firmly until cured, approximately 4 hours.

Is wood glue waterproof?

Aquadhere Interior and Quick Set are not. Aquadhere Exterior is weatherproof and suitable for exterior non-structural use. Durabond is waterproof but not for permanent water immersion. None is rated for below-waterline use.

Can I use wood glue outside?

Use Aquadhere Exterior or Durabond. The interior PVAs are explicitly unsuitable for exterior applications.

Can I sand and paint over wood glue?

Aquadhere dries clear and does not stain wood. Durabond is sandable without clogging sandpaper, and is paintable and stainable after sanding.

Will wood glue stick wood to metal?

A PVA will not do it well. Aquadhere Durabond will — it bonds wood to metal, ceramics, glass, masonry and most plastics — but sand or roughen smooth surfaces first.

Why is my Durabond joint foamy and weak?

High humidity or damp surfaces cause increased foaming, which weakens the joint. Clamp or weight tightly to reduce it, and apply a thin layer to one surface only.

Do I glue both surfaces?

No. Aquadhere Exterior goes on one surface liberally; Durabond goes on one surface as a thin layer. Applying to both wastes product and, in Durabond's case, increases foaming.

Why has my glue line turned dark?

Rust or tannin contamination. Aquadhere stains brown or black if contaminated with iron oxide, or in the presence of tannins found in many timbers — keep steel nails and rusty clamps out of the joint.

How much glue do I need?

Aquadhere Exterior covers approximately 5 m² per litre, so a 500mL bottle handles around 2.5 m² of glued face.

How cold is too cold?

Durabond cannot be used below 5°C. Aquadhere Exterior will still work in cold, damp conditions but takes longer than 24 hours to reach maximum strength.

Can I fill a gap with wood glue?

Durabond expands as it dries and can be used for gap filling. Aquadhere can be mixed with sawdust to fill small gaps, which also keeps the colour close to the timber.