A few days ago I glued together 2 pieces of well dried 4x6 timbers to use as a header over a doorway in a building I'm working on. I used Gorilla wood glue for this and it was well cured. Then last night we had a heavy rain and the excess glue that came out of the joint turned white and softened a lot. This glue is advertised as indoor/outdoor but I would say it's indoor only. Now I'm going to have to cover the header with plastic until I can get a roof on.
Steve Neul
I bought a bottle of Gorilla Wood Glue once for a presentation that I gave on glues and adhesives. I did not like the slipperiness or the long time before it reached the tack point. I gave the bottle away.
For others:
Gorilla Wood Glue is a regular wood glue. It is not the same as the "Gorilla Glue" product, which is a polyurethane glue.
For others:
Gorilla Wood Glue is a regular wood glue. It is not the same as the "Gorilla Glue" product, which is a polyurethane glue.
I am about ready to toss out a new (18oz) bottle I bought about 3 months ago. The glue is so thick it won't squeeze out of the nozzle - won't be using it again. (I may dilute it down a bit for non-stressed interior projects)
Used Gorilla Glue only once! Terrible all-around results. I replaced it with Titebond 3 for an outdoor project and was pleased with the weatherproof results. Three years and still going strong.
Outside of the fact that I have no idea why a header would have glue, Gorilla Glue is arguably the lousiest glue on the market. Fine Woodworking, some years ago did tests of all the glue types including PVA, Gorilla Glue (polyurethane), epoxies. In their summary they concluded Gorilla Glue has the worse strength of all the tested glues. It is also disgustingly messy to work with.
I don't use the polyurethane glue but saw nothing wrong with the Gorilla wood glue until this morning. The glue dried again by this afternoon but it didn't live up to being an exterior glue.
As far as gluing the header, all I had in my shop were 2x6's and a 4x6. Neither was good enough for a header on an exterior wall so I cut the 4x6 in two pieces, jointed it and glued a plank 3 1/2"x 11" for the header. It worked good until I discovered it had been glued with interior glue. I tend to use what ever is in the stores and when I purchased the Gorilla glue it was the only exterior glue the store had.
As far as gluing the header, all I had in my shop were 2x6's and a 4x6. Neither was good enough for a header on an exterior wall so I cut the 4x6 in two pieces, jointed it and glued a plank 3 1/2"x 11" for the header. It worked good until I discovered it had been glued with interior glue. I tend to use what ever is in the stores and when I purchased the Gorilla glue it was the only exterior glue the store had.
Funny, I got a bottle of Gorilla wood glue at Harbor Freight because it was cheap--it was near all the $1 epoxy and super glue. When I got home I noticed it was white, as opposed to yellow which is what I expect wood glue to be. So my assumption was that this was some kind of low end Gorilla glue or mislabled or something not right. I havent been able to figure out if Gorilla wood glue is normally yellow or if white is the right color but Ive used almost the entire bottle... seems fine. I dont notice any difference in strength (not that I would without actual tests but I have tried to undo glued up pieces and it broke at the wood and not the glue line) ,viscosity, workability, etc compared to any other glue such as Franklin or Titebond.
I feel your frustration, Steve!
When it first was available locally, I thought Gorilla's PVA wood glue was going to be the greatest show on earth, so I bought some & used it on trim repairs. Oops! It is crazy-weak.
For a fun experiment, I glued poplar-to-poplar with Gorilla, Titebond Original and with Elmer's School Glue. After 10 days, the Elmer's took much more force to separate than the Gorilla did. (Both softened when in high humidity.) Titebond Original was the only one that caused the wood to break before the joint. (The Titebond and Elmer's were quite old bottles.)
The Gorilla also went bad in the bottle less than 2 weeks after opening it. It got quite thick and separated. All of the Titebonds last at least 2 years. They last even longer if the trick in the next paragraph is done:
For all of my PVA glues, I put a piece of cling wrap or a slice of a plastic bag under the cap & screw it back on. (If you take a bottle and squeeze, you'll find that the nozzle caps aren't air tight.)
Then the container goes into a plastic bag (overkill?). I used a 5+ year old Titebond Original a week ago and it was fine.
Paul
PS: Not a pro woodworker nor cabinet maker.
When it first was available locally, I thought Gorilla's PVA wood glue was going to be the greatest show on earth, so I bought some & used it on trim repairs. Oops! It is crazy-weak.
For a fun experiment, I glued poplar-to-poplar with Gorilla, Titebond Original and with Elmer's School Glue. After 10 days, the Elmer's took much more force to separate than the Gorilla did. (Both softened when in high humidity.) Titebond Original was the only one that caused the wood to break before the joint. (The Titebond and Elmer's were quite old bottles.)
The Gorilla also went bad in the bottle less than 2 weeks after opening it. It got quite thick and separated. All of the Titebonds last at least 2 years. They last even longer if the trick in the next paragraph is done:
For all of my PVA glues, I put a piece of cling wrap or a slice of a plastic bag under the cap & screw it back on. (If you take a bottle and squeeze, you'll find that the nozzle caps aren't air tight.)
Then the container goes into a plastic bag (overkill?). I used a 5+ year old Titebond Original a week ago and it was fine.
Paul
PS: Not a pro woodworker nor cabinet maker.
Everything I did was indoor use so certainly didnt see any issues with water but as an indoor glue… seemed no different than any other pva. I was just surprised to hear all the other feedback about it
Great thread, it made me do some reading. I’ve decided that I’m mostly finished with Gorilla Glue - Wood Glue, and moving on to Titebond II Premium.
@Steve Neul
GORILLA HEAVY DUTY CONSTRUCTION ADHESIVE in past used to be used for building headers with at one point time. a lot of jurisdictions no longer allow it to be used as it does not have proved proper bonding surface.
since it does not spree out like wood glue.
Some jurisdictions do not require any glue be used due to the plywood is just a spacer to get the proper width as not a structural area. If the header is being made up of a series of laminates there's all kinds of codes of how the glues are to be applied and how they're pressed {clamped} together a whole different topic.
if Your jurisdiction doesn't require glue most likely has a nail pattern that should be used.
I looked at South Park construction drawings for headers they are slightly different from one drawing to another because of Architects but there is a pattern the width over the space you're trying to bridge the number of nails required per square foot. there is a lot to it.
A lot of the construction styles 20 plus years ago no longer meet a lot of the jurisdiction requirements for building codes.
example
like a roof sheet of approved of material
asuch, the nailing schedule is typically the familiar 6 inches on center at supported panel edges, including gable-end walls and 12 inches on center over intermediate panel supports.
Check with your architect or your building codes Department to see if they require glue and if so what is their recommendation they usually have a type not a brand that is required and most of the ones that we still do use are waterproof glues it only take a couple hours to set up and then can be totally soaked.
GORILLA HEAVY DUTY CONSTRUCTION ADHESIVE in past used to be used for building headers with at one point time. a lot of jurisdictions no longer allow it to be used as it does not have proved proper bonding surface.
since it does not spree out like wood glue.
Some jurisdictions do not require any glue be used due to the plywood is just a spacer to get the proper width as not a structural area. If the header is being made up of a series of laminates there's all kinds of codes of how the glues are to be applied and how they're pressed {clamped} together a whole different topic.
if Your jurisdiction doesn't require glue most likely has a nail pattern that should be used.
I looked at South Park construction drawings for headers they are slightly different from one drawing to another because of Architects but there is a pattern the width over the space you're trying to bridge the number of nails required per square foot. there is a lot to it.
A lot of the construction styles 20 plus years ago no longer meet a lot of the jurisdiction requirements for building codes.
example
like a roof sheet of approved of material
asuch, the nailing schedule is typically the familiar 6 inches on center at supported panel edges, including gable-end walls and 12 inches on center over intermediate panel supports.
Check with your architect or your building codes Department to see if they require glue and if so what is their recommendation they usually have a type not a brand that is required and most of the ones that we still do use are waterproof glues it only take a couple hours to set up and then can be totally soaked.
Gorilla brand makes several kinds of glue. They are completely different types of glue with different chemistries. People confuse them because they all start with their brand name "Gorilla" and they called their first product "Gorilla Glue". If the product says only "Gorilla Glue" without an in-between word, it is their original polyurethane glue.
-> The glue that this thread is about is Gorilla Wood Glue, a PVA wood glue similar to Titebond II or Elmer's Carpenter's Glue. I tried Gorilla Wood Glue and did not like it. It was too slippery stayed that way too long before reaching the tack point. I gave my Gorilla Wood Glue to another woodworker. I use Titebond Original (I) and Titebond III as my preferred wood glues.
I use the original polyurethane Gorilla Glue to glue pen tubes in pen blanks. It is NOT recommended and few other penturners use it, but I like it. I buy the cheapest, smallest bottles. Like @Steve Neul, I tried polyurethane glue on other woodworking projects, but did not like it. (Most penturners use epoxy for gluing pen tubes, by the way.)
I use Gorilla Clear Glue for various household repairs. It is a silane-based glue and is unlike other glues I have tried. You must store it in a cool place with light. If you store it in the dark, it will yellow. It is strong and dries clear and adheres to almost anything. It stuck to a reusable silicone glue brush and ruined it.
-> The glue that this thread is about is Gorilla Wood Glue, a PVA wood glue similar to Titebond II or Elmer's Carpenter's Glue. I tried Gorilla Wood Glue and did not like it. It was too slippery stayed that way too long before reaching the tack point. I gave my Gorilla Wood Glue to another woodworker. I use Titebond Original (I) and Titebond III as my preferred wood glues.
I use the original polyurethane Gorilla Glue to glue pen tubes in pen blanks. It is NOT recommended and few other penturners use it, but I like it. I buy the cheapest, smallest bottles. Like @Steve Neul, I tried polyurethane glue on other woodworking projects, but did not like it. (Most penturners use epoxy for gluing pen tubes, by the way.)
I use Gorilla Clear Glue for various household repairs. It is a silane-based glue and is unlike other glues I have tried. You must store it in a cool place with light. If you store it in the dark, it will yellow. It is strong and dries clear and adheres to almost anything. It stuck to a reusable silicone glue brush and ruined it.
Just bought a big bottle of Gorilla wood glue for an exterior project. I made an assembly mistake that I didn’t realize until it was too late. Took the screws out of the joint, and I didn‘t expect to find such a strong bond. The Armstrong Approach started breaking wood. I was so impressed I came here to see what the grumps had to say. Instant buyer’s remorse haha. While I contemplated deep sixing the new bottle of glue I note that this isn’t just Gorilla Wood Glue … It’s Gorilla Wood Glue Ultimate. They claim it’s 100% waterproof … we’ll see I guess.
This appears to be an impartial test of the Original VS the Ultimate Gorillas glues:
When my granddaughter was visiting me recently, We took the half-full bottle of Gorilla Wood Glue, emptied it out, and steam-cleaned the inside. (being very careful not to damage the labels).
Into a large mixing bowl, put in two cups of your favorite mayonnaise, a dash of garlic powder, a teaspoon of finely minced fresh horseradish, and a teaspoon of plain yellow mustard. (for color). Mix well.
With a 24" piece of clear plastic tubing, 1/2" diameter minimum, suck up the mayo-mix and then gently blow it into the wood glue bottle. Repeat this until the glue bottle is full. Clean up your mess. Store the new Gorilla Mayo Glue bottle in the fridge until needed.
This is the only use I have for this product.
Into a large mixing bowl, put in two cups of your favorite mayonnaise, a dash of garlic powder, a teaspoon of finely minced fresh horseradish, and a teaspoon of plain yellow mustard. (for color). Mix well.
With a 24" piece of clear plastic tubing, 1/2" diameter minimum, suck up the mayo-mix and then gently blow it into the wood glue bottle. Repeat this until the glue bottle is full. Clean up your mess. Store the new Gorilla Mayo Glue bottle in the fridge until needed.
This is the only use I have for this product.
I've looked at it in the stores, as an alternative to Titebond. Given the minimal price difference, I've never actually bought it, and after seeing this, I doubt I will. I have tried their "clear" glue and wasn't impressed. Their polyurethane glue has worked well for me in projects where I needed something with a bit of gap-filling, well enough to be worth the inevitable mess that goes with it.
"Gorilla" is an outstanding marketing word, as one associates strength with a Gorilla. Unfortunately, I have never used one of their products that performed properly.
Only use I found for the PU version of Gorilla glue is shoe repair. Does a decent job on adhering leather insoles to cork outer soles on sandals
Try Titebond III; it is waterproof. I used it to glue cork rings for custom fly rod grips. Have used it for other things and have had exceptional luck with it.
The gorilla wood glue (pva glue) is really light colored, so it makes a very invisible glue line on things like maple or pine.
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