Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

How to use polystyrene glue

Updated: 23 October 2026

The tube is on the bench and the only instruction you remember is to wait until it is dry. That average is how a contact adhesive gets pressed while wet, or a tacky gel gets washed when the maker said it would not survive the sink. How to use polystyrene glue depends on which chemistry you opened. This page is the two sequences and the cure clocks. Prices and review counts are on the [polystyrene glue comparison](/hub/fillers-adhesives-and-sprays/polystyrene-glue). Peter F. used maker sheets and the amazon.co.uk listings, not a lab of our own. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

The tube is on the bench and the only instruction you remember is to wait until it is dry.

Our top picks

UHU UHU POR, pack of 2

Best overall

UHU UHU POR, pack of 2
8.9/10about £11.82
View offer
UHU UHU por 50 ml

Rank 2

UHU UHU por 50 ml
9.4/10about £6.75
View offer
Aleene's Aleene's Felt and Foam Glue

Rank 3

Aleene's Aleene's Felt and Foam Glue
8.5/10about £12.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Prep the surfaces
  2. 2.Contact method with foam adhesive
  3. 3.Read the cure clocks correctly
  4. 4.Tacky craft method
  5. 5.Ventilation and clean-up

Prep the surfaces

Work on clean, dry faces above about +5°C if you are following POR's sheet. Dust, release agent and damp cold foam are common reasons a contact film peels. Scrap-test any bottle you have not used on that foam, especially a lightly reviewed 120 ml listing. Mask areas you do not want filmed, and keep clear canopies away from solvent cement fumes if a kit bottle is open nearby. Contact adhesive wants mating faces, not a filled void. If the job is insulation on a wall, stop. A craft tube will not become a structural fix through careful prep. That fork is the polystyrene glue buying guide.

Contact method with foam adhesive

UHU POR is a contact adhesive. Coat both faces thinly. Leave the film until a finger test shows firm adhesion without wet stringing. Maker guidance puts that window often in five to twenty minutes, then you join and press. Do not slide the joint the way you might with a wet PVA smear. Reviewers who pressed too soon describe the bond failing; reviewers who waited describe a flexible film on foamboard and RC foam. A light breath on the open film is sometimes suggested to add a little moisture before joining. That is not a substitute for ventilation, and it does not cancel the flammable solvent warning. Keep flames and hot-wire tools clear while the tube is open. One face only is not the contact method.
UHU UHU POR, pack of 2

Testsieger

UHU UHU POR, pack of 2
8.9/10about £11.82
View offer

Read the cure clocks correctly

Firm adhesion in minutes is not final strength. POR's technical sheet points to final strength around seventy-two hours. The 50 ml listing prints twenty minutes as a full-cure field. The twin pack prints twenty-four hours. Those are different packs of the same chemistry. Do not average them into about twelve hours. LAMXIN's listing splits the clock as one hour initial and twenty-four hours full. Aleene's maker page talks about an hour before handling, which is not POR's contact window. Contacta's listing prints twenty-four hours for a kit weld and is not a foam clock. Write the clock from the pack you opened if you leave the bench. Mixing clocks across brands is how a joint gets loaded early.

Tacky craft method

Aleene's Felt and Foam is a high-viscosity gel, not a dual-face contact solvent film. Spread it on the face that needs grab, keep the bead from sinking through open felt, and allow about an hour before rough handling. The maker calls the bond water resistant and not washable. UK reviews split between instant grab and wet marks or no grab, so test your actual felt. Do not wash a finished felt toy when the maker already said the bond is not washable. Do not use this gel as a stand-in for POR on an RC foam spar. Hobby foam and kit styrene continue on polystyrene glue for models and RC.

Ventilation and clean-up

POR is published as highly flammable, with a flash point around -5°C on a safety sheet in circulation for the product. The twin-pack safety panel also named skin irritation, drowsiness and aquatic toxicity with long lasting effects. Open a window. Do not work over a pilot light. For dried POR, maker guidance points to light petrol as a cleaner; that is another flammable step, not a kitchen shortcut. Wet tacky craft glue usually lifts with a damp cloth before it skins. If vapour gives you a headache or dizziness, stop and get air. Regular workplace use still sits under COSHH and HSE solvent-adhesive guidance.

Common questions

Do I put UHU POR on one face or both?
Both faces. It is a contact adhesive. Coat each side, wait until tacky, then join. One-face coating is a common reason the bond fails in reviews.
How long before I can handle a POR joint?
Maker guidance often describes firm adhesion in about five to twenty minutes after the open time, with final strength around seventy-two hours. Trust the sheet for your pack, not an average of the amazon twenty-minute and twenty-four-hour fields.
Why do the single tube and the twin pack show different cure times?
They are different listing fields on different ASINs. Do not blend them. Use the pack in your hand and the maker sheet when they disagree with a marketplace field.
How do I use Aleene's Felt and Foam glue?
Spread the gel, allow about an hour before rough handling, and treat the bond as water resistant, not washable. Scrap-test on your felt, because UK reviews disagree on grab.
Can I use Revell Contacta on foam if I apply it thinly?
No. Thin application does not turn a solvent cement into a foam-safe adhesive. Contacta is for hard kit plastic. Foam needs a foam contact adhesive or another maker-stated foam chemistry.
What cleaner works on POR?
Maker guidance points to light petrol for cleaning, with the same flammability caution as the adhesive itself. Ventilate, and keep ignition sources away.
Is POR non-toxic?
Do not claim that. POR is a flammable solvent adhesive with CLP hazard phrases. Non-toxic on a craft gel belongs to the maker page that says it, such as Aleene's felt-and-foam glue, not to POR.

Related pages

Foam glue or plastic cement

Best polystyrene glue

Polystyrene glue

Polystyrene glue buying guide for foam, kits or felt

Polystyrene glue for model kits, RC foamboard and Depron

Sources

Public UK and maker sources used for this comparison. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts were taken from the listings on 19 October 2026. The score sheet is dated 21 October 2026.

  1. UHU POR product page (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. UHU POR technical sheet (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. UHU POR datasheet: does not attack the foam (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. Revell model-building adhesives (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. HSE SR22, solvent-based adhesives (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. Written answer: polystyrene ceiling tiles and Part B (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. 3M UK, bonding foam (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. Aleene's Felt and Foam tacky glue (retrieved 19 October 2026)