What's the difference? - Mod Podge, PVA & Decopatch Glue

The other day I was asked the question 'What is the difference between Mod Podge, PVA and Decopatch Glue?'. So this weekend I decided to test them. Now I use all of these glues for different projects and after reading up on it I've realised that it is quite a lot to do with personal preference as to which glue you use, but I thought I would do a little run down of my findings and let you know my opinion in the hope it might help some people choose which glue to use.

I used:
Mini Paper Mache Boxes
Red Decopatch Papers
Matte Mod Podge
Gloss Mod Podge
Decopatch Glossy Glue
PVA Glue

This is what the boxes look like to start:

And this is how they looked once they were covered and dry.

Matte Mod Podge

This was the first time I had tried the Matte Mod Podge and I am very impressed with the outcome. It has a definite matte finish and looks completely different from the other 3. If you are after a smooth non shiny finish then this is the one to use.


Gloss Mod Podge

I have used gloss Mod Podge quite a few times before but I normally use it when glittering items (such as glasses) and haven't used it for decopatching before. I found that it is a very similar finish to the Decopatch glue. It is glossy and shiny but I can see the brush strokes, although this could have been down to the paintbrush I was using.

I have heard that quite a lot of people are put off of using Mod Podge for this type of project because it can feel tacky to the touch even after it has dried. Now on this box I haven't found that at all but I have in the past use it to coat some paper beads I made and after several coats I have found that they do seem to have stayed tacky, so it could be how thick you layer the glue. This is where the personal preference comes into it, depending what project you are doing.

Decopatch Glossy Glue

This is the glue that I normally use for this sort of project. I have decopatched a small paper mache horse, some shelving and some Christmas decorations and have always used this glue. Now after doing this I see very little difference to the gloss Mod Podge. It is glossy and shiny but again I can see the brush strokes. Decopatch glue is slightly runnier than Mod Podge but is non toxic and has less of an odour so is better for using with children. The one difference I can feel is that it seems to be a harder coating but this could be down to the different shapes of the boxes. I will probably continue to use Decopatch glue for this type of project because of the potential for the Mod Podge to stay tacky if you use too thick a coating.

PVA Glue 

I normally use neat PVA for sticking down embellishments and papers and I use it a lot when making mini books to ensure that my papers are well stuck to my covers. For this project I used it watered down as it was too thick to use straight from the bottle for decopatching. Again how much you water it down comes down to personal preference but I have seen the ratio of 2/3 glue to 1/3 water. This box is not as glossy and shiny as the Decopatch and Mod Podge but not as matte as the matte Mod Podge. Again some people find that PVA can stay tacky depending how much you have used. On this box I found that the lid was not always easy to remove but this could be due to the shape. If you are looking for a cheap alternative to the other glues then this would suffice but just isn't quite so glossy.

I have seen people suggesting that if you add a few drops of a water based varnish to the water/glue mixture that it makes it more glossy and like Mod Podge, this is maybe something to experiment with.

Conclusion
My final conclusion is that there is not a massive difference between them (except the Matte Mod Podge!) and if one works for you then there isn't really a need for you to purchase another. But if you are like me then you have your preferences for each glue for different projects. I will still continue to use the Decopatch glue for decopatching (or the Matte Mod Podge if I want a matte finish), the PVA for mini books and the Mod Podge for glittering things. But if I ran out of Decopatch glue and had the urge to decopatch something then I know I could still use Gloss Mod Podge or PVA as an alternative.

I hope that this has given you some idea as to the differences between the glues and what you might use them for in the future.

Happy Crafting,
Maxine x