While a finger comes in handy to spread wood glue, every woodworker knows that a wood glue brush can be a life changer. Wood glue brushes spread glue more evenly, hit hard-to-reach areas, and are essential for spreading glue across big surface areas. But what’s the best brush for glue? We tested several brands of silicone glue brushes to help answer that question for you. Learn more with our buying guide to find the best glue brush for your needs.
DIY Gear Reviews’ 4 best glue brushes:
- Best starter kit: Sili-Brush Silicone Brush Kit
- Alternative starter kit: Rockler Silicone Brush Kit
- Best single silicone glue brush: Rockler Silicone Glue Brush
- Best for big glue-ups: Rockler Wood Glue Roller
This kit includes a 1/2-inch silicone glue brush, a 1-inch silicone glue brush, a spreading comb and squeegee combo, and a tray. The best part of this set is you get a full kit for a similar price as a single glue brush from other brands. The brush paddle helps spread glue evenly and helps push the wood glue into hard-to-reach interior corners. The spreading comb makes a big surface area glue-up a cinch, particularly when time is limited before the wood glue starts to solidify. Simply put, this is the best all-in-one set for most woodworkers.
The Rockler Silicone Brush Kit packs in the essentials, including a 7-inch long silicone brush with a paddle, a silicone comb spreader, and a small silicone glue holding tray. As with any silicone glue brush, clean-up is easy and curiously satisfying – let the wood glue dry and then peel it off of the tray or pick it out of the brush’s bristles.
If you need a single brush to round out your kit, the Rockler Silicone Glue Brush is a perfect choice. The 7-inch long brush beats the price of other individual brushes, such as the Titebond Silicone Glue Brush. Most importantly, it has a brush on one end and a paddle on the other for different glue-up needs.
- Cheap
- Spreads glue evenly on big surfaces
- Not great for precise applications
- Bottle could be bigger
While not actually a brush, the Rockler Wood Glue Roller achieves the same outcome of simplifying glue-ups. It shines when you need to apply glue to a large surface area. Tilt the bottle, give it a squeeze, and roll away. Rolling on wood glue can save precious minutes during assembly time. This roller is particularly useful when batching projects, crafting cutting boards, and applying wood glue over lengthy boards.
How to pick the best wood glue brush
For woodworkers that don’t yet have a glue brush, the first step is purchasing a silicone brush kit that includes, at minimum, a brush, a tray, and a spreading comb. Good sets can be purchased inexpensively. Most silicone wood glue brush sets are similar in quality, so you simply look for the best one for your money.
Does brand matter?
Our testing shows that brand doesn’t matter when it comes to choosing a wood glue brush. We tested unknown brands, such as Sili-Brush, and well-recognized woodworking brands such as the Titebond Glue Brush and Rockler.
In the end, a silicone brush is plastic and silicone. It’s hard to mess that up at any price. That is why we think your best bet when picking the best glue brush for your wood glue needs is to base the decision on price.
What is the best way to spread glue?
A silicone glue brush or wood glue roller used alongside a wood glue dispenser will simplify routine glue-ups for all types of wood glue. Sure, you can use your finger for many types of wood glues and easily clean the glue off with a wet rag. But using a silicone glue brush spreads glue more evenly across bigger surface areas. A roller becomes ideal for batching out big woodworking projects with speed and precision.
A silicone brush can also reach deep into interior corners and other tight areas that would otherwise be inaccessible.
Specialty glue spreading tools, such as silicone combs and squeegees, can make quick work of laminations and when gluing layers of wood together. Just pour a stream of wood glue onto the working surface and use the comb to evenly distribute the glue.
How we tested the picks
We first reviewed the market to see what brands offered brushes for wood glue. From this initial list of eight products, we purchased six for testing. These included an array of glue brushes from Titebond, Rockler, and Sili-Brush. We first inspected each for durability. Our durability tests consisted of applying several rounds of wood glue with each brush, then removing the dried glue to learn if the silicone brush tips stayed intact. All tested glue brushes passed this standard durability test. Tested products were also inspected for general build quality, online reviews, and price.