There are numerous DIY projects that are greatly assisted by the use of the appropriate tool, and one of those tools is undoubtedly a glue gun. Instead of having issues such as excess glue, glue where you don’t want it, and creating a sticky mess that takes ages to clean up, a glue gun can make the job of gluing so much easier. Learn the 7 glue gun projects you will love.
Such is a glue gun’s usefulness and ease of use, there are now countless glue gun projects that you can do. These range from fun craft projects that both adults and children can enjoy to simple practical projects that make life easier around the home.
The best thing about all these glue gun projects is that none of them are particularly difficult, and they certainly do not require you to be a master craftsperson. In fact, many of them can be fun projects that your children can join you in creating.
In this article, we are going to outline 7 glue gun project which includes 5 simple practical projects that only take a few lines to explain. The other 2 projects are craft projects which are more detailed and require more of an explanation, but in all cases, anyone can undertake these projects, even if they have never used a glue gun before.
Which Glue Guns To Use
Before we look at some of the projects, we thought it might be useful to highlight a couple of glue guns that we think would be the most suitable for you to use. The first is the Heli Hot Melt Glue Gun Kit and the reason we like it is it comes with everything you will need to get started. This includes the glue gun obviously, but also 20 glue sticks, a craft knife, and a carry bag to keep everything stored neatly in one place.
The Heli Glue Gun is one which has to be connected to a power source and we know many people prefer to use cordless tools. If you are one of them then a cordless alternative is there Aonokoy Cordless Hot Glue Gun which you can charge via a USB cable. This comes with 20 glue sticks to get you started and is an excellent value for your money.
For the DIY enthusiasts who want to use tools that other professionals use then you may want to consider the Ryobi P305 One+ 18V Lithium-Ion Cordless Hot Glue Gun. This is a heavy-duty cordless glue gun that is compatible with Ryobi’s standard lithium charger which can be purchased separately if you do not already use one with your existing Ryobi power tools.
Practical Glue Gun Projects
These are glue gun projects that may not visually seem like anything special, but they all provide very simple and easy to implement solutions to overcome annoying problems around your home
1. Non-Slip Hangers
You will surely have opened your wardrobe on occasion and found a shirt, dress, or blouse on the floor because it has slipped off its hanger. It’s so frustrating and means you most likely need to iron it again.
Well, you can end that frustration by taking each hanger and putting a small line of dots or zig-zags along 2-3 inches from the ends where your clothes would normally touch it. These lines create enough grip on the clothes so that they will stay in place and do not fall off the hanger
2. Furniture Pads
Fed up with the feet on your furniture marking your wooden or paneled floor? You can create small furniture pads by squeezing a small quantity of hot glue on to two rectangular pieces of foil. As a reference, you should cut the foil to about the size of a small matchbox, although this may vary depending on the size of the feet on the furniture.
Ensure the glue covers the entire piece of foil and is level before it starts to cool. Simply place a pad under each foot to stop it scratching your floor. If you wish to fix them to the feet you could try using small pieces of Velcro,
3. Nonslip Rugs
Although it can sometimes seem funny to see someone slipping on a rug, it can also be very dangerous and a serious injury is possible, especially for older people. If you have smooth floor coverings, you can make your rugs nonslip by squeezing some glue dots or zig-zags on the underside of them. Now they should remain in place anytime someone steps on them thanks to the glue underneath.
4. Keep Pictures and Photo Frames Straight
No matter what house you visit you will undoubtedly see the occasional photo frame or picture on the wall that is sitting slightly askew. This also applies to your pictures and photo frames, so here is a simple way to keep them in place. Take them off the wall, and on the back, place a glue dot in each of the bottom corners.
Once the glue has cooled place the frame back in its place and once you have adjusted it so it is centered, it should remain there thanks to the glue dots.
5. Plug Children’s Bath Toys
Most children’s bath toys have holes underneath which means that the toys get filled up with bathwater. Unfortunately, this means that if the toys are not emptied of water, mold can start to build up, making the toys less than sanitary for your child to play with.
You can prevent this by using your glue gun to seal the hole in the bath toys and while it may mean your children cannot use them as water pistols any longer, it does mean they are safer for them to play with.
7 Glue Gun Projects You Will Love
Craft and Decorative Glue Gun Projects
These two glue projects require more time and effort but can make ordinary and mundane items either more visually appealing or something that enhances the look of your home.
6. Making Quote Art
Everyone has their favorite quotes which could be a famous line from a movie, a celebrity catchphrase, or possibly a meaningful quote relating to life or personal development. With this glue gun project, you can turn that quote into a piece of art for your home.
First, type out your quote on your computer and adjust the font to give the effect that you want. Next print it out in large enough text to match the size of the canvas you are going to use it on.
Using the printed text, you should now trace its outline onto your canvas using a pencil. To make this task easier, using a script type font is better as it makes any variation look more natural. Once you have the outline on the canvas, you should now trace over that using the glue gun. Thicker areas within the text may require you to go over them more than once.
Once the glue has cooled you now have multiple options in terms of how you finish your art. You could paint it with four or five bands of paint in different colors, or you could carefully paint each individual letter. Once the paint has dried, you should frame your canvas and then hand your quote art on the wall for all to see.
7. Glittering Cellphone or Pencil Case
Every cellphone should be in a case as no matter how careful we all are, there is bound to be at least one occasion when we drop it. If you want a case but are fed up with the boring black wallet type, then here is a way to make one which is very artistic.
First, wrap your phone in greaseproof paper, and seal it in place with some sticky tape. Make this as tight a fit as possible, as neat as possible, and ensure you cover every part of the phone.
Next, using a pencil outline on the paper all the points of your phone that you do not want to be covered — the camera lens, the headphone socket, the charger socket, and all the buttons. Now you can create the pattern for your cover using the glue gun which can be straight or swirly lines, for example. Ensure you do not glue over the areas to avoid. For the glitter effect, the glue sticks should be the glitter type that you can buy from craft shops.
Once you have finished, allow the glue to cool and then carefully remove the phone and paper. You can use tweezers to remove any excess bits of glue. What you now have is a decorative cover that will protect the phone. You can make as many phone covers as you wish using different patterns and colors.
Using the same techniques, you can make decorative cases and holders for other items. For example, instead of using a cellphone, you would use two old jars as the templates for the halves of your pencil case. You can then glue a zipper to one of the two halves as the means of opening and closing it.
Other suggestions for decorative items you could make using colored or glitter glue sticks include glasses or sunglasses case, keyrings, soda bottle holders, and candy holders.
