I Have Had a Several emails Asking About White Glue as an Additive in Concrete and Hypertufa

The authors experience with using white glue in concrete as a strenghtening agent.

Del Germyn

I have tried it and not seen a huge difference in the end result. The concrete seemed to cure faster but that may have been the weather. It was during the summer and very hot out. I am sure that it was a little more waterproof and seemed to resist chipping a bit better. In hypertufa I give it a big YES! It will improve your results considerably. 

"Elmer’s" brand glue says on the label that you can use it in concrete and gives instructions. I think it said 300ml glue plus 150ml water per 10 lbs. of concrete mix.   Don't take my word for it, look it up!!

I have used it as a bonding agent when pouring new concrete on top of old. First wash the old with muratic acid, rinse then paint on the white glue. It seems to help. I have seen these joints taken apart with jackhammers a couple of years later and the bond looked excellent. This was in a very harsh west coast marine application, so I say it works well!

I also think that it makes a difference when added to hypertufa. My theory is that it gives back some of the strength lost due to the organic matter (peat) in Tufa. I also have an idea that it helps waterproof it a little, and that is a big benefit in outdoor projects.

I made a couple of "Giant Heads" about 3 feet high with 'Tufa. These where done over about a week, adding on every day. The 'Tufa had glue in it. I am certain it helped to bond it better during the sculpting process. When done they seemed a little harder on the surface and water ran off better than it did on projects where there was no glue added. I can tell you they survived one -35 degree winter, they disappeared after that so I cannot report any further.

Generally I would say that white glue works at least as well as you have heard. If you heard it does not work, don't try it. I will continue to tell people to go ahead. It can't do any harm!