Which glue works on ceramic?
Which glue works on ceramic?
Two-part epoxy for anything that will be handled or loaded, cyanoacrylate for a clean break on a display piece — and neither is dishwasher-proof.
Glazed and unglazed surfaces behave completely differently. The exposed body along a break is porous and drinks thin adhesive straight out of the joint, while the glaze either side is as non-porous as glass — so the same repair is simultaneously a porous bond and a non-porous one. Thin cyanoacrylate suits a clean break where the two faces meet with no loss, and epoxy suits anything with a chip missing, because it bridges. The honest limitation is that no ordinary adhesive is food-safe or dishwasher-safe: heat, detergent and prolonged water will break down every consumer product, so a repaired mug is a display mug. Anything genuinely valuable should go to a conservator, who will use a reversible adhesive precisely so a better repair remains possible later.
The options, ranked
| Option | Good at | Bad at |
|---|---|---|
| Two-part epoxy | Fills the microscopic loss along a break, holds real load such as a mug handle, and can be tinted to match. | Visible glue line, yellows with age, and needs the parts held for the full cure. |
| Cyanoacrylate | Nearly invisible on a clean sharp break, sets in seconds, and needs no clamping beyond finger pressure. | Brittle and attacked by hot water and detergent, so it belongs on shelf pieces rather than crockery. |
| Conservation-grade adhesive | Reversible with a solvent, which is the standard for anything of value — a museum repair must be undoable. | Slow, expensive and deliberately weaker than a permanent bond. |
| Two-part polyurethane | Tougher and less brittle than epoxy for a piece that will be knocked. | Foams slightly, and the expansion opens a fine break line if it is not clamped hard. |
Technique that changes the outcome
- Dry-fit every fragment and work out the assembly order before opening anything — the last piece often will not fit
- Clean the break faces with isopropanol; oils from handling are the usual cause of a weak bond
- Hold the parts in a box of dry rice or sand to keep them aligned while curing
- Apply the minimum adhesive: a squeezed-out excess opens the joint by the thickness of the film
- Scrape the cured excess with a blade rather than sanding, which dulls the glaze
What goes wrong
- Putting a repaired piece in a dishwasher or microwave
- Repairing anything that touches food or drink — no consumer adhesive is approved for that
- Using epoxy on a valuable antique; a conservator needs the repair to be reversible
Compiled practical guidance rather than a published standard. Product formulations vary by brand and market, so read the label — and where the work is structural, electrical or gas, the regulations that apply where you are govern rather than anything here.
Other glue and adhesive questions
| For | Use |
|---|---|
| Plastic | It depends entirely on which plastic — identify it first, because solvent cement is unbeatable on some and useless on others. |
| Polypropylene and polyethylene | Ordinary adhesives cannot wet these plastics at all. Use a polyolefin primer with cyanoacrylate, an MMA structural adhesive, or weld the plastic. |
| Wood | PVA wood glue for anything indoors; a water-resistant grade (Type I / D4) or polyurethane for anything that gets wet. |
| Metal | Two-part epoxy for anything structural, cyanoacrylate for small dry parts, and MMA where the surface cannot be properly prepared. |
| Shoes | A flexible shoe repair adhesive — polyurethane or a neoprene contact cement — never superglue, which cracks within a day of walking. |
| Fabric | A washable fabric adhesive or a fusible bonding web — and never superglue, which reacts with cotton violently enough to burn. |
| Glass | UV-cure glass adhesive for an invisible joint, clear epoxy where it must hold load, and neutral-cure silicone where it must stay flexible or wet. |
| PVC pipe | PVC solvent cement with its matching primer — and PVC, CPVC and ABS cements are not interchangeable. |
| Tiles | A cement-based thin-set in almost every case; ready-mixed tub adhesive only on small dry walls, never on floors or in showers. |
| Phone screens | A pre-cut adhesive gasket, or a flexible B-7000-type adhesive around the frame — superglue destroys screens and is the classic mistake. |
| Rubber | Contact cement for large flexible areas and rubber-toughened cyanoacrylate for small ones — but silicone and EPDM need a primer or they will not bond at all. |
| Outdoor and waterproof joints | Polyurethane or epoxy for rigid joints, MS polymer where the joint has to move — and check the water-resistance class rather than the word "waterproof". |
| Acrylic (Perspex, Plexiglas) | A solvent cement run into the joint by capillary action — not a tube adhesive, which will always look like a repair. |
| Concrete | Epoxy or a construction adhesive for bonding to it, and a chemical anchor resin — not glue — for anything that carries load. |
| Leather | Contact cement for a permanent flexible bond, or a leather-craft PVA to hold pieces while you stitch them. |
| Silicone | Effectively only more silicone, and even that needs a primer — and any silicone residue left on a surface stops everything else sticking too. |
| Paper | A glue stick or PVA for everyday work; wheat starch paste or methylcellulose for anything you want to survive — and never tape. |
| Foam | A foam-safe water-based adhesive or low-temperature hot melt — solvent adhesives dissolve polystyrene on contact. |
| Polycarbonate | A urethane or silicone adhesive is safest; solvent cements work but polycarbonate is unusually prone to stress cracking days later. |
Common questions
- Which glue works on ceramic?
- Two-part epoxy for anything that will be handled or loaded, cyanoacrylate for a clean break on a display piece — and neither is dishwasher-proof.
- What should I avoid?
- Putting a repaired piece in a dishwasher or microwave Repairing anything that touches food or drink — no consumer adhesive is approved for that Using epoxy on a valuable antique; a conservator needs the repair to be reversible
Related pages
- Which glue works on plastic? It depends entirely on which plastic — identify it first, because solvent cement is unbeatable on some and useless on others.
- Which glue works on polypropylene and polyethylene? Ordinary adhesives cannot wet these plastics at all. Use a polyolefin primer with cyanoacrylate, an MMA structural adhesive, or weld the plastic.
- Which glue works on wood? PVA wood glue for anything indoors; a water-resistant grade (Type I / D4) or polyurethane for anything that gets wet.
- Which glue works on metal? Two-part epoxy for anything structural, cyanoacrylate for small dry parts, and MMA where the surface cannot be properly prepared.
- Which glue works on shoes? A flexible shoe repair adhesive — polyurethane or a neoprene contact cement — never superglue, which cracks within a day of walking.
- Which glue works on fabric? A washable fabric adhesive or a fusible bonding web — and never superglue, which reacts with cotton violently enough to burn.
- Which glue works on glass? UV-cure glass adhesive for an invisible joint, clear epoxy where it must hold load, and neutral-cure silicone where it must stay flexible or wet.
- Which glue works on PVC pipe? PVC solvent cement with its matching primer — and PVC, CPVC and ABS cements are not interchangeable.
- Which adhesive should I use for tiles? A cement-based thin-set in almost every case; ready-mixed tub adhesive only on small dry walls, never on floors or in showers.
- Which glue works on a phone screen? A pre-cut adhesive gasket, or a flexible B-7000-type adhesive around the frame — superglue destroys screens and is the classic mistake.
Sources
- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place