Best glue on plastic

To bond plastic there are many different types of glues & adhesives available but which is the best glue on plastic. There are also many types of different plastics including PVC, ABS, polycarbonate, Plexiglas, perspex, acrylic, polyethylene & polystyrene to name a few. Certain glues & adhesives perform better on certain plastics than others.

Best adhesive for plastic

Is it possible to bond plastic using an adhesive? The answer is yes, if using the record breaking strongest Adiseal adhesive & sealant.

Why Adiseal is the best adhesive for plastic

Adiseal adhesive & sealant was the strongest adhesive in an independent adhesive strength test by Ultimate Handyman.

In the independent adhesive strength test by Ultimate Handyman, Adiseal was over 3 times stronger than the nearest competitor in the wood to metal bond strength test. In fact it was so strong that the screws holding the metal sheet down started to rip out forcing the test on Adiseal to be stopped.

Some of the other reasons why Adiseal is the best when trying to to bond plastic:

• Adiseal stays permanently flexible so it will absorb any vibration and allow any items to expand & contract without the adhesive becoming weak.
• Is waterproof so it is also suitable for use outdoors or indoors.
• Has very high gap fill properties.
• Has high initial grab meaning temporary supports may not be required while the adhesive cures. Adiseal Hi-Grab has even higher grab than the standard product.
• Is a suitable adhesive to stick most plastics.

Adiseal will stick plastic to the following items

Best Glue on Plastic

Adiglue is our best glue on plastic. It’s a high performance industrial strength glue that outperforms other glues & super glues. Adiglue provides a stronger & less brittle bond than super glues.

How is Adiglue better than super glue?

Adiglue outperforms other glues & is stronger than super glue because Adiglue is almost 100% pure cyanoacrylate. To make super glues cheaper to manufacture, most super glues are filled with solvents. This results in the super glue drying extremely quickly but leaving a weak brittle bond.

The other problem is when the solvents evaporate away, the super glue quickly dries up in the bottle. As long as the Adiglue bottle nozzle is kept clean, Adiglue will not dry up in the bottle for 18 months even if the bottle is kept open. After using Adiglue, use Adisolve sprayed on a tissue to wipe off any excess Adiglue from the bottle nozzle.

As Adiglue is not filled up with solvents, Adiglue cures quickly but slightly slower than other super glues. This results in a bond that is a lot stronger than super glues as well as being less brittle.

Super glue gel

Adiglue has a thicker gel glue formulation which results in higher gap fill than other glues. The gel glue allows it to be used where other super glues would fail. The thicker gel formulation also makes Adiglue easier to apply & less messy than other glues.

Clear glue

Adiglue is a completely clear glue and stays clear once it has cured. This is very useful when a clear glue is required like a glue for glass.

Glue strength demonstration

To demonstrate just how strong Adiglue is compared to other super glues, we have stuck together some MDF wood blocks together with Adiglue. We have then stuck some house bricks to the MDF & to other bricks with Adiglue. This is not be possible to do with other glues.

Adiglue will bond plastic to the following items

How strong is Adiglue

Adiglue is one of the strongest glues available. The strength of Adiglue will depend on the materials it is being used to bond. On some items the strength of Adiglue is actually stronger than the material itself.

Adiglue strength example

In the example below we have sealed the edge of the MDF wood blocks using the Adiglue Activator then applied the Adiglue to stick the 2 MDF wood blocks together. Once the glue has dried, we tried to break the bond between the 2 block by stamping on it.

As seen in the image, the MDF wood has broken before the Adiglue showing the glue is stronger than the MDF wood.

How to glue plastic

Glue for hard plastic

Adiglue is our best glue to stick hard plastic where the surface area is small. For items with a larger surface area, the Adiseal adhesive & sealant is the best product to stick hard plastic. Adiseal adhesive & sealant will provide a waterproof & flexible bond. It also has higher gap fill & initial grab.

Using Adiglue to glue hard plastic

To use Adiglue glue for hard plastic, make sure both surfaces are thoroughly clean to get the strongest bond. Adisolve is the ideal product to remove oil, grease, tar and other stubborn deposits.

Simply apply the glue to hard plastic and hold the items together until the glue starts to dry. Adiglue Activator can be used as an accelerator to quickly reduce the time it takes for the glue to cure.

Using Adiseal adhesive & sealant to stick hard plastic

To use Adiseal adhesive to bond hard plastic, make sure both surfaces are thoroughly clean to get the strongest bond. Adisolve is the ideal product to remove oil, grease, tar and other stubborn deposits.

Simply apply the adhesive to one item and firmly push to two items together. Adiseal has high grab but clamps may be required to hold the items in place until the adhesive has cured.

Glue for plastic to metal

To glue plastic to metal, both our Adiglue glue & Adiseal adhesive & sealant will provide a good strong bond. Adiglue is our best glue to stick plastic to metal where the surface area is small. For items with a larger surface area, the Adiseal adhesive & sealant is the best product to stick metal to plastic.

Using Adiglue to glue plastic to metal

To get the strongest bond when using Adiglue glue to glue plastic to metal, make sure both surfaces are thoroughly clean & free of rust. UltraLube is the ideal product to penetrate and help remove rust. Adisolve is the ideal product to remove oil, grease, tar and other stubborn deposits.

Simply apply the glue to either the plastic or metal and hold the items together until the glue starts to dry. Adiglue Activator can be used as an accelerator to speed up the drying time.

Using Adiseal adhesive & sealant to bond plastic to metal

To use Adiseal adhesive to bond plastic to metal, make sure both surfaces are thoroughly clean to get the strongest bond. UltraLube is the ideal product to penetrate and help remove rust. Adisolve is the ideal product to remove oil, grease, tar and other stubborn deposits.

Simply apply the adhesive to one item and firmly push to two items together. Adiseal has high initial grab but temporary supports may be required to hold the items in place whilst the adhesive dries. Wipe away any excess Adiseal with a thick cloth. Adisolve can also be used to help remove any uncured adhesive.

For more details on how to bond metal, see the bond metal page.

Glue for plastic to wood

Adiglue is our best glue to stick plastic to wood where the surface area is small. For items with a larger surface area, the Adiseal adhesive & sealant is the best product to bond plastic to wood.

Using Adiglue to glue plastic to wood

To use Adiglue glue to bond plastic to wood, make sure both surfaces are thoroughly clean & free to get the strongest bond. Adisolve will remove oil, grease, tar and other stubborn deposits. Porous wood will require sealing first prior to applying the glue so that the porous surface does not soak up the glue. Adiglue Activator is the ideal product to seal the porous material before applying the glue.

Simply apply the glue to either the plastic or wood and hold the items together until the glue starts to dry. Adiglue Activator can be used as an accelerator to quickly reduce the time it takes for the glue to cure.

Using Adiseal adhesive & sealant to stick plastic to wood

To use Adiseal adhesive to stick plastic to wood, make sure both surfaces are thoroughly clean to get the strongest bond. Adisolve is a great product at removing oil, grease, tar and other stubborn deposits.

Once the surfaces where the adhesive will be applied are clean, simply apply the adhesive to one item and firmly push the to two items together. Adiseal has high initial grab but temporary clamps might be required to hold the items in place until the adhesive has cured.

Glue for plastic to plastic

Gluing plastic to plastic is possible with using both the Adiglue glue & Adiseal adhesive & sealant. Adiglue is our best glue to stick plastic to plastic where the surface area is small. For items with a larger surface area, the Adiseal adhesive & sealant is the best adhesive to bond plastic to plastic.

Using Adiglue to glue plastic to plastic

To use Adiglue glue to stick plastic to plastic, make sure both surfaces are clean to achieve the strongest bond. Adisolve is the ideal product to remove oil, grease, tar, and other stubborn deposits.

Simply apply the glue to either plastic surface and hold the items together until the glue starts to dry. Adiglue Activator can be used as an accelerator to quickly reduce the time it takes for the glue to cure.

Using Adiseal adhesive & sealant to stick plastic to plastic

To use Adiseal adhesive to stick plastic to plastic, cleaning both surfaces before applying the adhesive will provide the strongest results. Adisolve is the ideal product to remove oil, grease, tar and other stubborn deposits.

Once the surfaces where the adhesive will be applied are clean, apply the adhesive to one item and firmly push the to two items together. Adiseal has high initial grab but temporary clamps might be required to hold the items in place until the adhesive has cured.

Plastics that are hard to bond

Some plastics like polyethylene and polypropylene can be difficult to bond. This is because of the surface energy of the material. To be able to bond these plastics, the surface has to be treated first to change the surface energy of the plastic.

Glue plastic vs mechanical fixings

It is possible to attach plastic with either glue or mechanical fixings. Either option has advantages and disadvantages. One disadvantage to using glues to bond plastic is they can be more difficult to remove when the bond is no longer required. A disadvantage to using mechanical fixing like screws is they will leave a permanent hole in the material. The screw might also stay visible and ruin the look of the plastic. Sometimes both mechanical fixing can be used together with an adhesive or glue to make the plastic joint even stronger.

Visit our detailed guide to adhesives for more information.

Frequently Asked Questions