Full-Coverage Adhesives

As a connoisseur of adhesives I've come to value and recognize the important role of full-coverage adhesives when scrapping and stamping. There are times when the old saying applies and "a little dab'll do ya." There are those occasions, however, when you need a quality adhesive that will offer full coverage. Vellum die cuts, mosaics, fabric and micro beads are perfect examples of situations that require a broad application of adhesive.

Full-coverage adhesives fall within two basic categories: dry and wet . The dry style can be sold in a few different ways such as tapes, press-and-stick sheets, and adhesive machines. The wet variety is made up of liquid or spray glues.

My favorite full-coverage dry adhesive is manufactured by Xyron. This brand is great for general-purpose crafting and scrapbooking. It works best when applying paper to paper, or other lightweight products such as fabric or ultra-fine glitter. Xyron machines come in a variety of sizes, and the refills are widely available. When altering items such as paper boxes, folders, photo frames, and other similar items I like to use the Xyron permanent adhesive to avoid bubbling and long drying times.

Tacky Tape is another wonderful product. This is a very sticky tape or sheet that is double-sided and backed with wax paper on each side. You press your item to one sticky side, cut it out, and then peel the wax backing away from the opposite side. The item will now be sticky on the back and ready to apply to your layout.

Liquid glues are very popular for altered art, and for anything you would like to seal with a gloss or semi-gloss finish. Mod Podge is a craft staple for many scrapbook artists. This handy liquid glue pulls double duty by not only adhering your items together but also creating a smooth, sealed topcoat. This product is very easy to apply using a simple foam paint brush. The key to using liquid adhesives for full coverage is to smooth out any air bubbles as they appear, and to allow each coat to dry completely in between layers.

Spray adhesives offer flexibility and are highly tacky. A few keys to working with spray glue are to purchase one that says acid and lignin free, to always use the adhesive in a well-ventilated area, and to spray your item inside a box to avoid making your whole area a sticky mess. My personal favorite spray glue is made by Elmer's Glue. I really like the fact that it's low odor.

Spray glues work well on semi-slick surfaces and in instances when you need a fast-drying adhesive. I love to use spray glues when I'm using fabrics. I don't have to try to get a piece of material into my Xyron machine or worry about it wrinkling and fraying from painting liquid glue directly onto it. Spray glues can be very economical as well; a little goes a very long way.

Here are a few project ideas for things that you can create using full-coverage adhesives:

• serendipity sheets
• faux-mosaic borders and tags
• woven vellum backgrounds
• printed photos on canvas, applied to the background sheet
• vellum quotes added to your layout
• altered boxes, file folders and other cardboard or paper items
• accordion mini books
• altered clip boards or wood items.
• photo cubes

While there are not many different full-coverage adhesives out there, what is available to you is typically high quality. You'll love the ease of use, the lack of visible adhesive on sheer elements, and the cost-effective nature of full-coverage products. They are one of my must-have supplies and I can't imagine scrapping without them now!