How to glue a book binding: Your guide to creating and restoring books

A variety of adhesives are used in the book-binding industry for gluing book pages together, among the most common is polyvinyl acetate (PVA). PVA is strong, flexible, and widely available. 

Many professional bookbinders add wheat paste to PVA glue to enhance the strength of the adhesive. You can do the same, if you wish. Just do an online search for a wheat paste recipe for bookbinding.

Other commercial book binding glues are available. You might want to use the following checklist when selecting an adhesive for gluing book pages together.

• Will the glue remain flexible? Check the label and reviews if available.

• Acidity level: acidic adhesives can cause the pages to yellow and eventually damage the spine of the book. Look for an acid-free or PH-neutral adhesive.

• Strength: a medium- to heavy-grade strength is required to keep a book binding intact.

• Colour: a glue that dries clear is definitely a plus.

• Toxicity: some glues contain toxic components. These are best avoided. 

Want a strong alternative to PVA glue for a quick repair? Give LePage Extreme Glue a try. Extreme Glue provides a quick and powerful bond and sets without clamping. Also, it dries crystal clear and won’t wrinkle paper, so your repair will hardly be visible.

In times past, many books were actually sewn together in sections, then the collection of these sections was bound into a book. As adhesives have become stronger and more reliable, most publishers today glue book pages together.

Gluing book pages together is, by far, the easiest method for creating a book. Here is a handy checklist of the tools and supplies you will need:

• paper

• PVA adhesive

• binder clips

• steel ruler

• razor knife

• cutting mat

• paintbrush or foam brush

Here are some step-by-step directions:

1. Cut your paper to size using a razor knife and ruler or a sheet cutter.
2. Stack the pages into a neat pile. Remember, any pages that are not flush will not be glued and will fall out.
3. Secure the paper stack with binder clips to hold the pages in place.
4. Spread a layer of glue onto the spine of the book using a paintbrush or foam brush.
5. Place the stack under a load (such as a pile of other books) to hold it in the proper shape while the glue is drying.
6. Allow the glue to dry and repeat steps 4 and 5. Add layers until a solid bond is formed, holding all the pages firmly.

Once your pages are securely glued together, it’s time to make and attach the book cover.

1. Choose a cover material. You can use strong paper or cardboard.
2. Cut the cover to size. Decide if you want the cover to be the same size as the pages or larger. Remember, the cover must be large enough to serve as the front, back, and spine of the book.
3. Score 2 lines to allow the cover to bend at each side of the spine of the book. Make these about ¼”(0.6cm) wider than the spine so that the cover will fold back when the book is open. 
4. Crease the lines for the spine of the book and fold the cover into shape.
5. Apply PVA glue to the middle section of the cover (the book spine) and spread a little glue onto the front and back cover.
6. Press the stack of pages into the cover and position it carefully.
7. Weight the book down until the glue has dried.