The Highly-Rated Landscaping Glue That Keeps Outdoor Stones Secure & Steady

Stone is a wonderful material to use in the garden, with different colors and textures offering an endless variety of potential looks. The only challenge, particularly with natural rock, is getting it to stay put. Traditionally, there have been two options: creating dry stone walls, where each piece is carefully interlocked together, or using cement mortar. Both require considerable skill to get right, and the latter leaves a visible joint that's not to everyone's taste.

What if there was an alternative that was so easy to apply that anyone could use it? One that provided a secure hold in around 20 minutes and a full cure in two to seven days. So, for example, if you had a great idea for repurposing pavers, there would be nothing to stop you, even if you had little or no building experience. That product is a landscaping glue called Loctite PL500 Landscape Block & Stone Adhesive, and it has a list of attributes that sound like a DIY garden builder's dream. It comes in tubes that fit an ordinary caulk gun. In addition to stone, it can be used on brick, concrete, slate, and wood. It will adhere whether surfaces are wet or dry, and its working temperature range is anywhere from 0 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. So, if you want to build an amazing-looking retaining wall and it's snowing out, you can go right ahead.

For some unbiased, real-world feedback, we checked buyer comments at two online retailers. Over at The Home Depot, one customer said, "Built a retaining wall and the adhesive bonded the blocks and caps very well." While an Amazon customer wrote, "Works great on my brown stone, a whole lot easier than tuck pointing with cement mortar."

What about any downsides? A different purchaser on Amazon thought the glue was too thick to use in a caulk gun and had to resort to a putty knife. And one at The Home Depot said they, "Used the adhesive to bind wood to tile. It fell apart less than two days later." Nevertheless, the overwhelming majority of responses were positive — the 4.5-star rating doesn't lie.

Loctite warns that PL500 is highly flammable, to avoid eye or skin contact, and not to breathe the vapor. The biggest ingredient is limestone, but there are petroleum resins, so it's probably not biodegradable. It is not recommended for items that are continuously under water and does not work on plastics. As always, proper lifting technique is important, whether you're positioning a few boulders or creating a beautiful rock garden. Having found an easy solution that keeps outdoor stones secure and steady, the last thing you want to do is strain your back.

Buy Loctite PL500 in single 10-ounce cartridges for $7.09 on Amazon, or save money with a 12-pack for $64.90.