TikTok Uses Elmer's Glue To Repair Concrete Cracks, But Does It Really Work?

Just as everything else in life, houses grow old and telltale signs of their aging can emerge in the construction. If parts of your house are made from concrete, such as floors or walls, then you may notice that they begin to crack. These signs of wear and tear are exacerbated by actions like moving bulky furniture over the floors and hammering nails in the walls, which results in cracks along the concrete's surface. If you've noticed these cracks in your own home, TikTok has some pretty interesting hacks and theories on how to fix them — one of which is using Elmer's glue — but how well does it really work?

Although concrete is a durable building material, once it shows signs of breakdown, it may be a cause for concern in some situations. If the cracks are deep, then it will require structural repairs. If the cracks are superficial, however, and they haven't damaged the integrity of the concrete and you can get away with just filling them up. Some social media users, like @cristianmercado2 via TikTok, have been making DIY videos about using Elmer's glue to seal up cement cracks, you may be wondering if it's a real solution or just another hoax.

Using Elmer's glue to repair cracks in concrete may sound as absurd as just sticking a bandaid over it, but TikTok user Cristian Mercado swears by it. He used a mixture of the glue and water to fill in the cracks. According to the video, he first deep-cleaned the concrete surface with soap and water before applying a degreaser and letting the floor dry overnight. Then, he mixed one part Elmer's glue to six parts water in a bucket and brushed the solution onto the concrete floor evenly in three layers. 

While this would temporarily fill in the cracks, it will offer no real support because Elmer's glue isn't proper filler material. The creator recognized this fact in the comment section, admitting that the whole process was just to "lock in dust" while paving the way for rubber and wood flooring. If you want to seal concrete cracks, you're better off doing it using trusted means. If the cracks are less than a quarter of an inch wide, then concrete caulk will work. You only have to clean the area of debris and fill up the cracks with the caulk. If the crack is on the wider side, you should use a concrete patching compound.