The debate over using PVA vs. wheat paste for book spines

I was halfway through restoring a 1920s novel when my wheat paste started bubbling up last Tuesday. I switched to PVA on the fly and it held flat but I'm worried about long term damage. Which do you trust more for old spines?

3 comments

3 Comments

susana6624d agoTop Commenter

Look, I've been doing this for years and wheat paste is fine for certain things but for old spines? No way. PVA is just more reliable and I've seen too many wheat paste jobs fail over time with humidity changes. The bubbling you saw is exactly why I switched to PVA years ago and never looked back. I get the whole traditionalist thing but these books are old enough without adding glue that might crack or come loose later. PVA might not be the vintage choice but it's the safe one and that matters more.

hayden70924d agoMost Upvoted

Wait, are you trying to start a war between the glue nerds and the flour fanatics? I've used both and honestly, PVA holds flat without drama, but wheat paste feels like a trust fall with a 100 year old book. Long term, I'd stick with PVA for old spines unless you enjoy waking up in a cold sweat wondering if your glue decided to fail.

hayden_butler2724d ago

Did a batch of old paperbacks last year with PVA and they're still holding up like champs. Wheat paste is cool for the vibe but way too unpredictable for anything you actually want to keep around. PVA takes the guesswork out of it which is nice when you're just trying to get the job done.