Yard work: Small wood structures: fasteners vs glue

Self-tutoring about structures made of thin wood: the tutor compares fasteners with glue.

Where I live, this is a good time to mend outdoor wooden structures such as fences. The reason is that it’s nearly always warm (or hot) and dry during the summer. Not only are those conditions easy to work in; they’re also perfect for applying glue. On light cedar structures like fences, I use outdoor glue more and more often.

Light, thin cedar will sometimes split when you try to put a new fastener into it – even if you pre-drill. However, outdoor glue can typically can be applied across a large enough area to be effective. If allowed to dry properly – such as in the conditions we have now – it can outshine nails or screws, in my opinion. One advantage of the glue is that it can be applied in many more spots than a screw or nail could realistically be placed.

Two kinds of glue I’ve used outdoors with success are Gorilla Super glue and Lexel.