Unlike real leather, faux leather have many uses and different processes of manufacturing, from sewing to using glue, whereas real leather items and products can be very limited in this respect.
In this post, I will deal with glue, what kind is best for faux leather and most importantly, how to use it to avoid damaging it and even cracking and peeling it, trust me, this does occur if you don’t know what you are doing, especially that a lot of glues are too strong to be used with faux leather items.
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So, what is the best glue to use with faux leather and how to use it successfully?
The first thing you need to look carefully at when choosing a glue for your faux leather fabric is one that is going to be thin enough so as not to show, and also a glue that will not have a very strong smell!
This is very important because we tend to forget that a glue is made out of petroleum compounds and as so, it is going to be very smelly, and remember that most faux leather items are either going to be used for clothing purposes or for decoration, like upholstery, this means that you have to select your glue very carefully and you have to stay away from the conventional and the “known” ones, they are very smelly!
The third thing you have to look for is a glue that will not require using a lot in order to stick two parts of faux leather to each other, usually when gluing faux leather with conventional glues, they tend to form big lumps and also show a lot!!
This is not attractive at all and you have to stay away from it as much as possible, I’m sure that you don’t want glue to show from your clothes and your faux leather items!
So, the glue must be clear, odorless , very resistant and also thin enough to not form and show lumps and other ugly defects!
What do I recommend?
One of the best glues you can use is called E-6000 Craft Adhesive and is available online, you can also find it in shoe repair shops, and it usually costs less than four dollars and will work amazingly well at gluing your faux leather fabric.
It is the first choice of professionals when it comes to gluing faux leather, it is also waterproof and safe to put in a washer or dryer.
All in all, it is an amazing glue.
unfortunately, not many people know about it, that’s why I want you to give it a try next time you want to glue two pieces of faux leather fabric.
This is all you need to know about the type of glue to use with faux leather, now, let’s talk about how to use it.
The only recommendation I’m going to give you in order to use this faux leather glue efficiently is to clean the surface of your fabric with a dry cloth, the cleaner the better.
although this will sound like basic advice, you don’t have to be fancy when it comes to gluing two pieces of faux leather, just make sure you wipe them clean, the cleaner, the better, as mentioned before, make sure no dust is on the surface of even in tiny cracks, this will make your glued faux leather item fragile and weak and water will probably get in between and ruin everything.
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Apart from this, you really have nothing to worry about, just remember to not use a lot of glue, otherwise you will end up with big lumps which are ugly and will even weaken your glued faux leather items.
Mohammed says
hi, is e6000 the glue that states on it it has chemicals known to cause cancer?
Jean-Marc Chateigner says
I really don’t know, but if you look deepely at its ingruidients, I guess you will find some suspicious ones!
Jessica B. says
E6000, like most adhesives, can be harmful when it is wet because of the vapors. The directions are very clear about using it in a well-ventilated area for this reason. Once the glue is dry and has fully cured (around 24 hours), however, it is perfectly safe.
Annie says
Don’t huff it. Just glue with it.
Lou says
Lol great answer!!!!!
mindy says
If you live in California then yes it probably does. Everything is cali including the houses have notices that something in it is “known to the state of California to cause cancer”
Lisa Whittington says
Will this glue E-6000 craft adhesive, can it glue small metal studs onto faux leather…. Scale of 1-10 ,(10 being the strongest) how strong can this glue hold a stud on some faux leather boots at a metal concert?
*patiently awaiting your response
Lisa. 🙂
Jean-Marc Chateigner says
I don’t think it will work on metal, never tried it before! Sorry!
Akua says
Yes it will work on metal and basically anything. I create handmade handbags and use rhinestone and metal Queen crowns as accent pieces. The only advice that is key is to use any type of weight to keep it in place. E6000 is a beast!!!!
Casey P says
It works on metal. I do it all the time.
Zam Tual says
Hey Jean-Marc,
I just wanted to say thank for this recommendation on what type of glue I should use with faux leather. Will this glue also work if I am trying to combine different materials with faux leather? For example, let’s say I want to use the E-6000 Craft Adhesive to glue faux leather to suede.
Jean-Marc Chateigner says
No, I don’t think it will give good results!
Kathy says
hi, I tried E6000 to stick a piece of Velcro 2 in. long to my vinyl purse (because the magnetic clasp quit working) and the Velcro never stayed glued . I left for 24 hrs before I tried to open the purse flap and the velcros would not stick to the purse. I usually have great success with this glue.
Jean-Marc Chateigner says
It’s a powerful glue and should work, wonder why it didn’t!!?
Jennifer Howard says
Hello! I have dining chairs of faux leather that have split at the seams. Do you think this product hold the seams together?
Jean-Marc Chateigner says
Please, what product?
Jeffery says
I am making a set of gaitors for my boots. Now my sewing machine is broken. Can I use E6000 to glue the seam allowances together?
Jean-Marc Chateigner says
Yes, but I don’t think it will last for a long time, I prefer to use threads.
Lauren says
Hey! I am wanting to put patches on a faux leather purse. Do you think this glue will hold them on?
Lenik says
the hole in my big bag teared up. Can I glue another piece of faux leather beneath and glue them with E6000 so I can put through the handle? Will that be strong enough to hold load in the big bag? Thanks a lot
Sharon says
I want to cover over a vinyl octagon coffee table with faux leather is the E 6000 gkue a good choice for this???
Jean-Marc Chateigner says
E6000 is very powerful and yes, I think it will do an excellent job.
JJ says
Hi. Would this glue work with fabric to go over an old fake leather hot tub cover? we live in CO and the cover is torn in places and I have a length of blue and white striped material that I would like to put over this old cover. would this be the best product? Is there another option? I can wait til I receive an answer.
thank you for you time.
JJ
nicky says
yes, ive used it on a winter table cover, to protect the wood from snow. Just make sure your replacement fabric is sturdy enough and waterproof on both sides.