YUPO paper is becoming extremely popular in the art world, especially for pouring art. There’s just one problem with it… it’s super hard to glue. Let’s find out how to overcome this problem and figure out which glue is best for YUPO paper.
Table of Contents
What is YUPO Paper?
YUPO paper is a non-porous, pH-neutral paper-like material that is machine-made in the United States.
Unlike regular paper, YUPO paper is completely synthetic. It’s made from Polypropylene plastic, giving it some very unique and interesting properties.
The unique properties of YUPO paper have garnered a substantial following in the art world, especially for liquid and pouring artists.
Unfortunately, if you’ve read any of the reviews on this site, you probably know already polypropylene is very difficult to glue, but it can be done if you have the right tools.
In a rush?
No time to read? The best way to mount YUPO paper is to use a thin acrylic polymer sealant like Golden GAC 100 to seal your bonding surface, then to use a medium or heavy-bodied acrylic paste such as Liquitex Matte Gel to handle the adhesion.
How to glue YUPO paper?
It is possible to glue YUPO paper, but it’s not as simple as gluing regular paper.
The problem is that any glue which is strong enough to bond polypropylene YUPO paper is likely also strong enough to damage the paper and any artwork that’s on it.
Therefore we need to ensure we use something that has good adhesion but also won’t ruin the art.
To overcome this problem, we use a two-part process:
- Firstly – we seal the surface with a thin acrylic primer.
- Then – we use an acrylic paste to handle the adhesion.
The acrylic primer sticks to wood, metal, or whatever your surface is.
Once the primer is dry, it gives a smooth surface that the acrylic paste is able to bond with.
The acrylic paste then bonds the plastic YUPO paper to the bonding surface covered with the GAC primer.
This method is safe, strong, and won’t damage your artwork. It’s a little bit more expensive than household glues, especially since you have to use two separate products, but it’s the best way to glue YUPO paper.
Best Glue for YUPO Paper
As I mentioned above, traditional household glues aren’t a great choice for YUPO paper.
Instead, we use two separate adhesive products, a liquid polymer to seal the porous surface you’re going to be bonding to, and then an acrylic paste, which will bond to both the polypropylene YUPO paper and the surface which has been sealed with the polymer.
The two products you will need are:
1: Golden GAC 100 Acrylic Primer
This product goes on the mounting surface (NOT on the YUPO paper) to create a surface that our acrylic paste will be able to stick to.
Since acrylic paste doesn’t stick well to wood or metal, but it sticks very well to YUPO polypropylene, we need to use this primer to ensure the acrylic paste will be able to bond the YUPO to the surface.
2: Liquitex Professional Matte Gel Medium Acrylic Paste
This product adheres to the YUPO paper, and also to the GAC primer.
It forms a strong bond, but won’t melt or deform your artwork.
If you have a Heavy or Superheavy gel already, those will work but they are a little bit harder to spread around.
How to Mount YUPO Paper (Instructions)
- Apply a thin layer of GAC 100 Acrylic Primer to your bonding surface. This might be a wooden mounting board, or a canvas, or some other surface you want to stick the YUPO paper to.
- Wait for the primer to dry, this may take a few hours depending on the surface, the amount used, and the temperature and humidity of your working environment.
- Once the primer is dry, apply your Acrylic Paste on top. Ensure there is a thin, even layer across the entire surface. You may want to use a spreader to spread the paste, as it is quite thick. If you don’t have one, you can use an old knife.
- Place the YUPO paper on top of the paste, try not to get any bubbles trapped under there.
- Use a rubber roller, a rolling pin, a book edge, or some other solid flat object to apply pressure to the paper. Work from the middle to the edges, ensuring any air pockets are pushed out from under the paper along with any excess acrylic paste.
- While the acrylic paste is still wet, wipe up any excess that has been squeezed out from the sides.
- Turn your piece over if possible, and trim any of your art which is overhanging with a crafting knife.
Conclusion
To sum up, YUPO paper is tricky to glue, but it is possible. Using a liquid Acrylic Primer first to seal the mounting surface, then mounting the YUPO using an Acrylic Paste.
The recommended products are:
- For the primer: GAC 100 Acrylic Primer
- And for the paste: Liquitex Professional Matte Gel
Hope this helped, I would love to see some of your mounted art pieces!
Thanks for reading
-Bill
