How to Remove Carpenter’s Glue

Learn a simple way to peel off carpenter’s glue. The white glue is known as: “carpenter’s glue”, is a semi-liquid textured adhesive very popular among DIY enthusiasts and professional carpenters, as it is designed to effectively glue wood pieces. This material is usually used in furniture or heavy structures, the adhesive used to join the pieces must have the necessary power to not come off with use; as well as specific properties that make it work perfectly in the wood, which is why we wonder how to remove the carpenter’s glue.

How to Remove Carpenter's Glue
Image source: Pxhere

One of these properties is the ability to soften under certain conditions, which allows the carpenter’s glue to be removed, in case of repairs, restorations, or if it is necessary to disassemble the furniture to move it. Therefore, depending on the type of glue used, as well as its adhesive power, there are certain methods to take into account when peeling off this material, which is usually equally effective in removing excesses from it, or cleaning up spilled glue.

If it is a low fixation carpenter’s glue, like the one used in small furniture, this one has the property of being water-soluble, so the best way to remove it is by wetting the surface with hot water, several times so the adhesive absorbs the liquid, and then force the pieces a little until they come off. If, on the contrary, we find adhesives with a higher concentration of polyvinyl and, therefore, more resistant, it is necessary to apply heat to the material with a hairdryer or a heat gun to weaken it.

Finally, how to detach carpenter’s glue with stronger adhesives, such as contact glue, it is necessary to use solvents or apply acetone to reduce its resistance and detach them. If you want to remove the remains of glue from the wood, to leave the surface clean of the material, or if you find already dry remains of spilled glue, once soft with the correct method, you will have to sand the surface, with soft grain sandpaper, until there is no trace of the adhesive.

Translated and adapted by Noobuzz staff. 

Sources: Facilisimo