Old school wood glue vs this new polyurethane stuff in my basement

I spent last Saturday gluing up some butcher block counters for a laundry room in my 1920s house (in Cleveland). My dad swore by the original Titebond for everything, but I grabbed a bottle of the Gorilla Glue polyurethane stuff because it claimed waterproof. Man, what a mess - it foamed up everywhere, took forever to clean off, and honestly I think the old yellow glue would have held just fine since it's not a wet area. Has anyone else gone back to the basics like Titebond after trying the fancy options?

3 comments

3 Comments

graydavis1mo ago

Actually the Titebond III is waterproof too and doesn't foam up like that Gorilla Glue does. Ive used it on outdoor projects with no issues. The poly stuff is good for certain things but for butcher block counters you probably would've been fine with the regular stuff.

hayes.joel1mo ago

Stick with the Titebond III for any kitchen stuff you actually want to stay together. Learned that lesson the hard way when I used poly on a cutting board and it bubbled up everywhere.

the_susan24d ago

Nah, I'm team polyurethane all the way. The foaming is actually a feature, not a bug - it fills gaps and expands into cracks that old school glue just leaves as weak spots. If you're in a basement with any moisture at all, that Titebond will let go eventually, but poly stuff bonds even when the wood is damp.