Which glue works on concrete?
Which glue works on concrete?
Epoxy or a construction adhesive for bonding to it, and a chemical anchor resin — not glue — for anything that carries load.
Concrete is not the weak link — the top few millimetres are. A power-floated or freshly poured slab carries laitance, a soft layer of cement fines and water that has risen to the surface, and any adhesive applied over it takes that layer off with it. Grinding, wire-brushing or acid etching removes it, and vacuuming rather than sweeping is what actually gets the dust out. Moisture is the second issue: a ground-bearing slab without a functioning damp-proof membrane keeps pushing water vapour up through the adhesive, so a tape-and-plastic test over 24 hours is worth doing before committing. For anchors, the manufacturer's blow-brush-blow cleaning sequence is not advisory; independent testing repeatedly shows uncleaned holes losing most of their rated load.
The options, ranked
| Option | Good at | Bad at |
|---|---|---|
| Two-part epoxy | The strongest bond to prepared concrete, waterproof, and the basis of structural anchoring resins. | Needs a dry, sound, dust-free surface; on a dusty or damp slab it fails at the concrete, not at the glue. |
| Polyurethane construction adhesive | Gap-filling and tolerant of a rough surface, and the usual choice for bonding timber battens or boards. | Foams, and it is not a substitute for a fixing where anything is hanging off the wall. |
| MS polymer construction adhesive | Stays flexible, sticks to damp surfaces and is low odour — good where two materials will move differently. | Lower ultimate strength than epoxy and slower to build it. |
| Chemical anchor resin | The correct product for a threaded rod or rebar in concrete, with published load figures and a stated cure time. | Only performs if the hole is properly cleaned; that single step is the usual reason anchors pull out. |
Technique that changes the outcome
- Grind or wire-brush the surface, then vacuum — sweeping redistributes dust rather than removing it
- Tape a square of plastic sheet down for 24 hours; condensation underneath means the slab is too damp to bond to
- For anchors, blow the hole out, brush with the correct-diameter brush, blow again, and inject from the bottom up
- Observe the resin's gel and full-cure times, which lengthen sharply in the cold
What goes wrong
- Bonding to painted, sealed or dusty concrete
- Using construction adhesive where a mechanical or chemical anchor is required
- Loading an anchor before its full cure time — the gel time is not the load time
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. |
| Ceramic and pottery | 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. |
| 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. |
| 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 concrete?
- Epoxy or a construction adhesive for bonding to it, and a chemical anchor resin — not glue — for anything that carries load.
- What should I avoid?
- Bonding to painted, sealed or dusty concrete Using construction adhesive where a mechanical or chemical anchor is required Loading an anchor before its full cure time — the gel time is not the load time
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 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.
- 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 drill bit should I use for concrete? Drill bit
Sources
- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place