Which Glue to Use for Easter Crafts: Paper, Felt, Wood and Eggshell

There is no single best glue for Easter crafts, because paper, felt, wood and eggshell each react differently to moisture and weight. The adhesive that holds a wreath together will wrinkle a paper egg, and the glue stick that suits cardstock will let a felt flower fall off within a day.

The answer is to match the adhesive to the material. Six common types cover almost every spring decorating project, and most households already own two or three of them.

Quick comparison

Adhesive	Best for	Approximate setting time	Main drawback
Glue stick	Paper to paper, light cardstock	A minute or two	Weak on heavy or textured pieces
White craft glue	Cardstock, paper mache, wood	About 30 to 60 minutes	Wet; can wrinkle thin paper
Tacky glue	Felt, ribbon, twine, trims	About 30 minutes to grip	Soaks through thin felt if overused
Hot glue	Wreaths, branches, bulky items	Under a minute	Strings; burns; visible blobs
Decoupage medium	Tissue and napkin layers on eggs	About 15 to 20 minutes per coat	Needs several thin coats
Double-sided tape	Clean, flat paper joins	Instant	No repositioning

All times are approximate and vary with the product, the room and how thickly the glue is applied. Check the label for full cure times.

Paper and cardstock

Paper swells when it gets wet, so the driest adhesive that will hold is the right one. A glue stick is the first choice for layering paper on paper: it adds almost no moisture and allows a few seconds of adjustment. Apply it right to the edges, and press the join under a heavy book for a few minutes so the corners stay down.

White craft glue is stronger and better for heavy cardstock, folded tabs and three-dimensional shapes. Use very little. Spread a thin film with a scrap of card or a brush rather than squeezing a bead straight from the bottle, since a thick line is what causes ripples.

Double-sided tape gives the cleanest result on flat joins such as a band around a napkin ring, a layered tag or the seam of a paper cone. It holds at once, with no moisture and no drying. The hold is immediate, though, so line the pieces up before they touch.

Felt and fabric

Felt is thick and fibrous, and a glue stick only grips the surface fuzz. Tacky glue, a thicker version of white craft glue, grabs quickly and stays slightly flexible when dry, which suits soft materials.

• Apply small dots or a thin line, keeping it a little way in from the edge.
• Press the pieces together and hold for about 30 seconds.
• Leave them flat until the glue has set, roughly 30 minutes, and longer before hanging.

Too much glue soaks through thin felt and dries as a hard, shiny patch on the front. If a piece will be handled a lot or stuffed, stitching is the better join; the tutorial for felt Easter egg ornaments shows where glue is enough and where a few stitches hold better.

Wood and paper mache

Wooden eggs, beads and small plaques bond well with white craft glue or tacky glue, since wood is porous and absorbs a little of the adhesive. Hold or tape the pieces in place while the glue grips, because round shapes tend to slide.

For ribbon or twine wrapped around a wooden or paper mache egg, tacky glue is the neater choice. A dot at the start, a thin line every few turns and a dot at the end are enough.

Eggshell and tissue layers

Blown eggshells and craft egg forms covered in tissue or napkin paper call for decoupage medium. It works as glue and sealer in one: brush a thin coat onto the egg, lay the paper on, then brush another thin coat over the top from the center outward to smooth out wrinkles.

Thin coats matter more than anything else. A thick coat stays cloudy and tacky, while two or three thin ones dry clear. Allow about 15 to 20 minutes between coats, or whatever the label advises. The full method is in the guide to decoupage Easter eggs.

To attach a ribbon loop or a small trim to a shell, use a dot of tacky glue. Hot glue is heavy on something so fragile and can pull away from a smooth surface.

Wreaths and bulky items

Hot glue earns its place when pieces are heavy, awkward or need to hold at once: faux flowers on a grapevine base, moss on a wreath form, eggs fixed into a nest. It sets in well under a minute, so there is no holding and waiting.

Dealing with strings

The fine threads that trail from the nozzle are the main nuisance of hot glue. To reduce them, press the nozzle against the work and swirl it in a small circle as you pull away, rather than lifting straight up. Whatever strings remain can be picked off by hand once cool, or cleared with a few seconds of warm air from a hair dryer.

Working with a glue gun

A glue gun is an adult tool. The nozzle and the melted glue are hot enough to burn skin, and the glue stays hot for several seconds after it leaves the gun.

• Rest the gun on its stand over a silicone mat or a scrap of cardboard to catch drips.
• Press pieces into place with a craft stick, not a fingertip.
• Keep the gun and its cord out of the reach of children, and unplug it when you step away.
• A low-temperature gun is gentler on foam, ribbon and thin fabric.

Building a small adhesive kit

Three adhesives handle most projects: a glue stick, a bottle of tacky glue and a roll of double-sided tape. Add decoupage medium when you plan to cover eggs, and a glue gun when you move on to wreaths. The wider Easter craft supplies list shows where adhesives sit among the other basics.