Overheard two guys at the hardware store arguing about wood glue vs construction adhesive for outdoor projects

I was grabbing some screws at Ace last Saturday and heard these two contractors going back and forth. One guy swore by Titebond III for everything, the other said only PL Premium works on treated lumber. I've been using cheap carpenter's glue on my deck planters for years and they always fall apart by spring. After listening to them for 10 minutes I realized I've been using the wrong stuff this whole time. Anyone else ever just guess at which adhesive to use for outside stuff?

2 comments

2 Comments

emerychen26d ago

Man, tell me about it. I spent like two summers building a little bench for my patio and used the same cheap stuff from the dollar store. By fall it was basically a pile of sticks again. I finally watched a YouTube video from some crusty old carpenter who just yelled at the camera for ten minutes about using construction adhesive on anything that touches the ground. Now I just grab a tube of that PL stuff and call it a day. It's way thicker and messier but it actually holds up when it rains. Wish I knew this years ago instead of wasting money on the wrong stuff.

smith.jordan26d ago

@emerychen did that old carpenter say anything about wood glue versus construction adhesive for vertical stuff like fence boards?