Today we are diving a little deeper into a few miniature fairy garden supplies, more specifically about the different kinds of glues and sealers that you can buy for outdoor fairy houses as well as indoors.
Table of Contents
To get some ideas for your miniature garden, take a look at this article from me recently.
But before we start, here is a little gift for you: an adhesive chart. Just to help you out with finding the right glue for each material to glue together.
This blog post has been divided into glues suitable for indoor fairy gardens, as well as outdoor fairy gardens.
Let’s dive straight into things:
As an Amazon and Etsy associate, I earn a small commission from your purchase, with no extra charges for you.
Glues Indoor fairy gardens and indoor miniatures
If you are sure you will never need to put your fairy garden outside, then you are well off just using a regular glue gun or other glues for crafting. If your miniatures never see UV light, rain, or cold/very hot temperatures, I wouldn’t worry too much about your miniature gardens falling apart.
The first miniature that I put outside, was glued together with a glue gun and varnished. Little did I realize how silly that was, because the first time it rained, it fell apart and I had to glue it back together again. In the meantime, I made another one for outside with more suitable glue, so now I have 2, one for indoors and 1 for outdoors 🙂
But anyway, a glue gun is a very handy thing for everything that you would like to make inside or on the porch/veranda, just be careful not to burn your fingers!
Make sure that you are using it the right way and watch the video in this article of mine.
Glues needed for outdoor miniature gardens and best glue for outdoor fairy houses.
There are several different types of glue suitable to use outdoors for your fairy gardens. I did some research (and some reviews) for you!
Here’s a list of recommendations for your miniature fairy garden supplies :
1 – Gorilla glue :
The original Gorilla Glue is the product that made the Gorilla company conquer the world. Gorilla Glue built a name for itself with its incredible industrial gluing power and versatility.
Activated by water, it expands into materials to form an incredibly strong bond around just about everything.
Gorilla Glue is the solution for almost any project or repair. It is 100% waterproof and weatherproof, safe for indoor and outdoor use (yeay!), and strong enough to hold off all elements of nature. Gorilla Glue makes a superior bond. It is the strongest Glue on Planet Earth (I have no clue about the other planets hehe).
You should buy the one that dries up crystal clear and dries up faster than the original one and doesn’t foam.
It gets an average of stars.
Pro’s
– paintable
– holds in just a few seconds
– doesn’t foam
– water resistant
– glues about everything
Contra’s
– hasn’t been tested on PLA plastic, so that’s trial and error to see if it works
– might hold just a bit TOO quickly for miniatures/ you would have to put two parts together in the right position straight away
– not recommended for use on polystyrene, polypropylene or polyethylene products
2- Loctite glue
The unique gel formula with rubber ensures extremely precise, strong connections even on flexible materials. Ideal for porous and vertical surfaces and strong enough to withstand extreme (weather) conditions.
The very powerful, non-dripping gel formula dries transparent to invisible, durable, shock, and weather-resistant connections. For hard-to-reach places, Loctite Power Flex Gel Control has an easy grip squeeze bottle and mouthpiece for precise applications.
Recommended for: leather, rubber, wood, metal, porcelain, paper, plastic.
Gets an average of stars.
Pro’s
– waterproof
– glues in a few seconds
– resistant to heavy loads
– dries up transparent
– applicators: handy tube or easy-grip control with a longer mouthpiece
– solvent-free
Contra’s
– doesn’t seem to glue to glass as promised in an advertisem*nt?
– it’s hard to get the glue out off the tube
– as always with fast sticking glues: could be a little to fast to get the miniatures positioned
– not suitable for polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), car windows, Styropor®, and synthetic fibers.
3. E-6000
E-6000 seems to be the most used glue for fairy gardens when I ask about it on forums and groups,( and it’s my favorite as well ). Although it is mostly used for jewelry.
It is a super-strong industrial adhesive. This versatile adhesive is flexible and adheres to almost all materials.
And when the glue has dried, it is not flammable. So it’s suitable for basically any craft project!
It gets an average off stars. I have no idea why it gets half a star less than the other glues, cause this one is my favorite 😉
Pro’s
– dries transparent
– paintable and is odorless
– heat resistant and waterproof, you can even get it washed in dishwashers and dryers
– you can correct mistakes /easy to process (handy for miniatures !)
–Does not pull glue threads
– might be a very important one for most people: safe for kids (non-toxic)
– holds great outside
Contra’s
– takes some longer time to completely dry and glue together the pieces
Sealers for outdoor miniatures
1. Mod Podge, a very efficient sealer.
What is Mod Podge? It is another great addition to Your Miniature Fairy Garden supplies. the people who don’t know what it is, I will briefly explain what Mod podge is. ( I LOVE it !)
It is a technique that is very versatile and is used more and more. Mod podge is basically glue and varnish in 1. But it is also used to paint something and to provide a protective layer (against the weather extremities in our case off fairy gardens).
Mod Podge is sold in hobby stores and online.
It is also known as Crea-podge.
Mod podge is not a cheap product, but definitely worth having. A small bottle should be enough for our miniatures. With large jobs such as furniture, you will have to buy a large pot. You don’t want to run out when you’re working on a large project.
There are so many different kinds of Mod Podge on the market these days: for fabric or puzzles for example, but what we need is basically one of the three most used: gloss, matte, and satin.
The most important thing is that the surface is clean, free of grease, and dry.
I’ve used Mod Podge on a ‘renovation’ project, which you can read about here. And I will use it again soon to renovate my outdoor ‘hobbit-house’, because for now, it is a mess 🙂
What is interesting to know is, that you can also make Mod Podge yourself! Here is a Wikihow-page for you!
It gets , which is definitely what it deserves!
One of my personal works is these fairy garden doors and windows, that I am renovating as we speak. Put a few layers off mod podge on your objects, in between layers wait about 15-20 minutes only. Let it dry for 72 hours and then you can place it outdoors. Every few months I would advise adding another layer.
2. Clear sprays, another good sealer.
Although I am happy with the Mod Podge, a lot of people prefer to use clear spray sealer for rocks before putting their miniatures out into the garden.
I can definitely see the point in using those, cause it’s probably easier to use? To be honest, I haven’t tried it out yet, so I have no opinion of it. It seems though that the colors come out more vivid and I can see the charm in that.. Let me know if you used it and liked it, so I can share it on my website? Thanks a bunch!
It gets
Conclusion.
Whatever glue or sealer you choose, you better be sure that the parts stick together well and don’t make the mistake that I made by using a glue gun for outside miniatures ;-). A glue gun is otherwise a very handy way to craft anything, but not in this case (‘yeah duh’, my partner said 🙂 ).
Do you have any questions to ask me about miniature fairy garden supplies or would you like to add some extra information, feel free to leave me a line in the comment section or join me on my newest Facebook group!
Happy crafting!
best regards,
Lizzy
Click Here For More FAQs !
Lizzy
Hi everyone!
My name is Lizzy, and I am an amateur miniaturist obsessed with everything in the dollhouse and miniature world, ever since I was a teenager.
So far, I have created 2 dollhouse projects, a backyard shed and a miniature treehouse, tons of DIY dollhouse kits, and “hacked” some.
I also created a fairy garden, and lots of small and simple miniature projects on my YouTube channel. (mostly made from trash or everyday items).
I love to write as well about all things happening in the miniature world, hence the reason why I created this blog!
I wish you happy reading and crafting!
Lizzy
everythingverysmall.com
Related Posts:
- 30+Tips On How To Make Fairy Garden Furniture And…
- How I Created A Wooden Fairy House For My Fairy…
- How To Make A Fairy For Your Fairy Garden In 8…
- How To Make DIY Fairy Garden Accessories-12 Projects!
- Miniature Dollhouse Building Supplies- The Best Wood…
- Building A Wooden Fairy House DIY Kit - My Third One So Far.
