How to Adhere Plexiglass to Wood

While plexiglass (lit. polymethyl methacrylate or "PMMA") is more shatter-resistant than glass, it usually proves just as difficult to drill. Instead of a using rivets or bolts to secure plexiglass to a material such as wood, the amateur builder is better off using a polychloroprene-based adhesive. However, unfinished wood is a very porous material that readily absorbs polychloroprene, drawing the adhesive away from the bond. Therefore, you'll need to first apply thin coats of the product to "fill" all of these absorbent pores.

Polychloroprene-based liquid adhesive
Spray bottle
Masking tape
2 bar clamps
2 90-degree corner clamps
1-qt paint can
1.5 paint brush

Instructions

- 1
  Fill the spray bottle with the liquid adhesive.
- 2
  Apply a 6-inch border of masking tape around the area of the wood you plan on bonding.
- 3
  Spray the wood's exposed "target" area with the adhesive, completely saturating it. Allow the layer to dry for 40 minutes, then re-spray the area.
- 4
  Remove the masking tape.
- 5
  Fill the paint can with liquid adhesive.
- 6
  Use the paint brush to apply a thick layer of adhesive to the area of the plexiglass you want to bond.
- 7
  Paint a thick layer of adhesive onto the area of the wood you coated and primed in the previous steps.
- 8
  Press the two adhesive-covered areas together and arrange them into the desired position.
- 9
  Attach the clamps around the wood and plexiglass to lock them together. If you're trying to stack two surfaces on top of each other, use the bar clamps and space them equi-distance from the center of the bond. If you're trying to bond two edges together to form a right angle, attach one corner clamp to each end of the edges.
- 10
  Remove any excess adhesive oozing from the bond seam.
- 11
  Allow the adhesive to dry for 24 hours.

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