How to Glue Plexiglass: Choosing the Right Type of Glue

Gluing Plexiglas can be quite challenging sometimes and I myself had my fair share of problems with it, which generally lead to frustration. So in this article, I will hopefully help you avoid any potential frustration by telling you everything, that I learned and know about gluing Plexiglas. When you are done reading this article you will know how to glue Plexiglas, how to choose the right type of glue, and how to prepare the surface of the Acrylic sheet before gluing it.

So to glue Plexiglas you first have to prepare the surface of the Plexiglas by cleaning the area, that you want to glue, with a little water and soap or with some rubbing alcohol (don´t use too much rubbing alcohol or it may damage the surface). Then apply some Acrylic Cement or Weld-On 3 to one side and finally press the two sides together.

What Type of Glue is Best for Acrylic or Plexiglas

Choosing the right glue for your Plexiglas project is really important. Not every glue is effective for every type of Plexiglas and if you want to glue acrylic to another kind of plastic, then you will use another type of glue than when you would when you want to glue two regular Plexiglas sheets together.

So when it comes to gluing Acrylic or Plexiglass the two best types of glue are Weld-On 3 or Acrylic Cement. Both of these glues are solvents, that will soften the surface slightly and welding the two acrylic parts together. This creates a really strong bond.

Weld-On 3 is a solvent cement, that is perfect for gluing plexiglass to other types of plastic like styrene or PETG-plastics. You should test how your acrylics react to the glue on a scrap piece. Some cheaper types of acrylic may get damaged by Weld-On 3.

You can get Weld-On 3 right here on Amazon.

Remember, it will slightly dissolve the surface of the Plexiglas, and Weld-On 3 is made for industrial-grade Plexiglas. So some cheaper Acrylics may get damaged when you apply it to them. Though this never actually happened to me before.

TAP Acrylic Cement is an all-purpose glue for Plexiglas and other Acrylics. This is a really good solvent-based glue, similar to Weld-On 3. It creates a really good and strong bond but this kind of glue is not good for gluing acrylic to other types of plastic.

It is not as strong as Weld-On 3 but it is way less aggressive. So it will work with almost every type of Plexiglas without any problems at all.

How to Glue Acrylic and Plexiglas

Now, that we have covered the type of glue to use for Plexiglas we will have a look at how to actually glue Plexiglas. I personally made a lot of different small mistakes and my first project, where I had to glue an Acrylic sheet, went really wrong. So, to keep that from happening to you, I will give you the best practices and all the little things, that you have to look out for when gluing Plexiglas or Acrylic sheets. When gluing Plexiglas it isn´t actually gluing in the traditional sense it is actually a type of chemically welding two pieces of plastic together.

So, to glue Plexiglas first, peel of any protective foil, that may still be on the Plexiglas. Then clean the parts of the surface with either soap and water or with some rubbing alcohol. Line the two pieces up, press them together, and apply the glue to the edge of the joint after 24 hours the two pieces will be welded together permanently.

There are a couple of methods for gluing Plexiglas but the most well-known method and my personal favorite method is the Capillary Method.

The Capillary Method is easy and very reliable to get great results!

Clean the surface of your Plexiglas with some soap and water or with some rubbing alcohol. The surface should be clean of any dirt, dust, and fingerprints.

Then join up the two surfaces, that you want to glue, and fix them in place with either clamps or weights or something else, that will keep both parts in place securely.

Both parts of the Plexiglas should be sitting flush on each other without any gaps in between them. The glue will weld both parts together and it will not fill in any gaps. So you have to make sure, that both parts are really flush to each other.

Then apply your choice of glue to the joints of the acrylic. The glue will flow in between the two parts and spread evenly automatically. You don´t need to manually spread the glue. Just go along the edge of the joint and the glue will spread on its own because of the capillary action.

After about 24 to 48 hours the glue will be completely dry and both parts of your Plexiglas will be welded together permanently.

Valentin

Hi, I am a passionate maker and professional prop maker for the entertainment industry. I use my woodworking, programming, electronics, and illustration know-how to create interactive props and puzzles for Escape Games and marketing agencies. And I share my knowledge and my experience on this blog with you so that you can become a maker yourself.

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