The Best Wood Glue For Home Improvement Projects If You're Balling On A Budget

Whether you're just starting out in the world of DIY woodworking, or you're a seasoned carpenter, wood glue is an essential tool to have in your arsenal. Designed to seep into wood pores to create long-lasting, strong bonds — with or without the help of screws and nails — wood glue is ideal for attaching wood surfaces together. Once the glue is absorbed into the wood fibers, it hardens, ensuring a solid bond between the two pieces. Not all wood glues are equal, though, and some can be expensive. The good news is that one of the top performing wood glues also happens to be incredibly affordable – Gorilla Wood Glue. 

Gorilla makes a number of super strong, durable glues, and its wood glue is no exception. The brand uses a PVA formula that is well suited to attaching joints and other various wooden objects together. It also leaves no visible bond line, so you don't have to worry about covering up unsightly glue spots. Even though it's a well-rated wood glue from a well-known brand, that doesn't mean it costs an arm and a leg. From Amazon, you can get an 18-ounce bottle of the stuff for just $10.79. You will also note that Gorilla's product is rated as 4.6-stars with over 6,200 reviews.

Between countless rave reviews for Gorilla, and its shockingly low price, it's our top pick for good reason. Do keep in mind though, that this wood glue doesn't work like instantly bonding super glue does. How long wood glue takes to dry and cure varies by product, but for Gorilla, you'll need to apply pressure to the two surfaces for at least 30 minutes — for joints, you can use a wood clamp (like this two-pack of WORKPRO 6-Inch Bar Clamps), but you will possibly need to physically hold the objects in place for other projects. This allows the glue to actually work its way into the fibers of the wood, rather than just creating a thin film between the two surfaces. Once that's done, the project still isn't all set, as this wood glue needs up to 24 hours in order to cure fully, so don't expect to be able to use the bonded item straight away. Once the bond is fully set, reviewers say Gorilla offers unparalleled strength. 

Some unhappy customers did report quality control issues in the bottles of glue they received. A few mention that the glue had become dehydrated over time, and so had a thick, pasty texture that wouldn't work as a glue. As a result, others said this clogged their glue bottle and was therefore unusable and needed to be sent back. If you do order a bottle of the glue and it doesn't seem adequately viscous, or the nozzle is clogged before you've used it, do not attempt to use it on your project, as it will not work.