When I was working on my fall crafts book, one of my editorial feedback team members suggested I include the recipe for homemade mod podge as an alternate to real mod podge in the leaf doodling activity.
I almost did. I’m all for homemade—especially when it works well.
But I hadn’t tested it myself and didn’t have the time then (this was the eleventh hour, as I remember, and I was scrambling with last minute edits and formatting) and so decided to leave it out.
I promised myself that I’d try out the two versions side by side as soon as possible, though. And that’s what I wanted to share with you here. The test and the results. Homemade mod podge vs the store bought mod podge. So here we go…
First, of course, we did another round of leaf doodling and drawing. I picked up a fresh pack of metallic sharpies and Maia, Daphne, and I each drew on autumn leaves that we had pressed and dried.
Then I started the big face-off.
We’ve used store bought mod podge to preserve our leaves in the past. It helps restore the vibrant color to the leaves and makes them shiny and supple. Would homemade mod podge do the same?
First, I mixed up a batch of the homemade mod podge.
Here’s the recipe:
1 part white school glue + 1 part water
This homemade version has been all over pinterest. I was sure I had pinned it myself, but couldn’t find the pin. I know I saw it and intended to try it.
Using a foam brush, I spread the homemade mod podge over one set of the leaves.
And I brushed the real mod podge over another set.
The glue mixture beaded and didn’t stay on the leaves well, as you can see on the left. The official mod podge coated the leaves thoroughly and stayed on.
Once both sets of leaves were dry, I flipped them over and repeated the application of homemade and real mod podge on the backs. And let them dry again.
So, how did they compare? Let’s see…
Homemade mod podge (shown on the left):
- Matte leaves
- Color unchanged
- More supple than before
Real mod podge (shown on the right):
- Shiny leaves
- Vibrant color restored
- Supple and flexible
Conclusion:
The store bought mod podge definitely produced the results I was after with the leaves. I wanted to preserve the leaves and make them colorful, shiny, and not so brittle when handled. The glue/water mixture didn’t change the look of the leaves at all. What was surprising to me (since the mixture didn’t seam to stay on the leaves) was that it made the dried leaves more supple. I could bend them without breaking off pieces.
Is it worth using the glue/water just for the suppleness? It’s not worth it to me, but maybe it would be to someone.
There are other considerations to think of, of course, besides the look of the leaves, such as cost (homemade is definitely cheaper) and eco-friendly ingredients (I can’t find an ingredients list for the mod podge, but it’s smelly which makes me think less eco-friendly), but since the homemade mod podge didn’t perform in this case, I don’t think we need to get into all that.
So now we know. Homemade mod podge may work well for paper decoupage, but I’d stick with the store bought stuff for preserving autumn leaves for decor or craft purposes.
37 Comments
Lori N
September 24, 2012 at 9:34 amI have read, in other reviews of homemade Mod Podge, that when used on paper it might look fine in the beginning, but it doesn’t age well.
DIane GooLsby
September 12, 2019 at 9:45 pmDid you try it on paper projects?
Letters Numbers and Books oh my
September 24, 2012 at 10:30 amI’ve used homemade on leaves before but I used a lot less water for my homemade mod podge so that might make a difference.
I use just enough to make it spreadable with a brush but it is still thick like mod podge. So more like 1 part glue to 1/2 part water.
Our leaves just started turning so we have to try the sharpie idea thanks!
Carrie
September 24, 2012 at 2:20 pmI’ve actually seen a VERY different recipe for homemade mod podge and wonder if that one would work any better?
Alan Wade
May 24, 2020 at 1:03 amI was gonn say I’ve seen different recipes for Mod Podge than this one with much better results…but haven’t tried them yet. I wonder as well…I was glad to see this page though with this comparison…nice job.
katie
September 24, 2012 at 2:50 pmThanks for the comparison ( and staying true to yourself and not including the recipe since you didnt test it out prior) !
Johnny Reed
September 24, 2012 at 3:58 pmHow do you string up the leaves in a garland? Thanks!
Brenda Johnson
September 24, 2012 at 5:57 pmI stiffen my crocheted snowflakes with just white glue and I don’t add any water. I would try it with no water and see what you come up with.
Sandie
September 24, 2012 at 6:35 pmOne thing to consider is that real Mod Podge is waterproof and the home-made is not. May or may not matter…depends on the project. As an art teacher I have used both.
Becky
September 24, 2012 at 8:33 pmMod Podge or homemade aside, this looks like such a fun project; we’ll be trying this out for sure!
Jean Van't Hul
September 24, 2012 at 5:48 pmHmm. Interesting… Thanks!
Jean Van't Hul
September 24, 2012 at 5:50 pmI should try again with less water! Also, MaryAnn Kohl e-mailed me to say that regular elmer’s glue and elmer’s school glue work differently and that she gets wonky results with the school glue sometimes. That’s what I used — wonder if it would work better with the plain old elmer’s glue? I need to do another test!
Jean Van't Hul
September 24, 2012 at 5:50 pmI’d love to see the recipe if you have it or have a link!!
Jean Van't Hul
September 24, 2012 at 5:50 pmSure! YOu’re welcome, Katie!
Jean Van't Hul
September 24, 2012 at 5:52 pmOh, I used a hot glue gun to attach the leaf stems to a ribbon. You can see more about that here:
https://artfulparent.com/2010/11/a-thanksgiving-leaf-garland.html
Letters Numbers and Books oh my
September 25, 2012 at 1:53 pmI checked and I use regular elmers.
Sandy
September 25, 2012 at 7:56 pmThanks for trying this…I wondered how it would work and thanks to you, I now know!
Grace
September 28, 2012 at 1:10 amwhat about this type of glue:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7wWkgrz8OU&list=FLzsbPJOgiHuhPaSCnGZgoAw&index=2&feature=plcp
can I use that as a homemade glue mix?
(i’ve seen in the us where elmers glue is 25c a bottle, but where I live, the same bottle is $4-5… so really expensive, and i can’t find mod podge anywhere!)
Amanda
October 4, 2012 at 10:48 pmI heard the same thing, apparently it yellows.
[email protected]
October 5, 2012 at 9:30 pmWe are doing this tomorrow.
Maiz
October 7, 2012 at 11:25 pmI’d love to see this, too! I saw a recipe a couple of years ago that had glue, water and a water soluble varnish in it. Now I can’t find it online.
Carmen
November 16, 2018 at 4:22 pmI saw that one too
1 cup regular Elmer’s glue
1/3 cup Water
2 tbsp. Water-based Varnish
(You can also add super fine glitter to it too)
creekrose
October 21, 2012 at 11:34 amdo you dry the leaves first or mod podge them as is?
Amy Anderson
October 24, 2012 at 10:53 amGreat review! Some people think Mod Podge is Elmer’s Glue and water . . . it’s absolutely not. Also Mod Podge is waterbased and acrylic, so it’s safe. Just as safe as Elmer’s. ;D
[email protected]
January 30, 2013 at 2:10 pmJust discovering this article now and so glad I read it. I, too, have seen the Pinterest pins and felt guilty for not making my own when Mod Podge is so expensive but now I can feel justified buying Mod Podge. ;)
pam
February 21, 2013 at 12:01 pmI love that you shared your test data and results here. A very helpful post for anyone tempted to try out the homemade version on their leaves. Definitely adding the link to my own tutorials. Thank you!!!
Susan
April 10, 2013 at 8:22 pmWonder what would happen with the glue if you used glaze instead of water? Think I am going to try it and see what happen.
sharon
April 17, 2013 at 1:38 amHi Susan, please let us (viewers) know if this works thank you :)
Jim
May 15, 2013 at 11:00 amApparently there is varnish in the original formula.
“Mod Podge is a step above craft glue in terms of the sealing properties. Mod Podge is glue, but it’s also a sealer – and there are varnishes, etc. in the formula that don’t exist in craft glues.”
https://modpodgerocksblog.com/2011/11/why-you-shouldnt-make-your-own-mod.html
Roxann Winter
June 23, 2013 at 5:07 pmJim, do u know if outdoor mod podge is really different than regular? Absolutely necessary for craft which will stay/be used for outside purpose? Thanks! RW
Christina Nelson
October 13, 2013 at 2:00 pmI use regular Elmer’s, not school glue which is washable so is a lot more water soluble, and use about a 2/3 to 3/4 glue to water ratio. If you add some clear WATER SOLUBLE Polycrylic to the end product, it’s quite remarkable.
dawn
November 9, 2013 at 6:13 pmI use regular elmers glue as well, no water. That seems to have the same results as the store bought Mod Podge.
deedee
November 15, 2013 at 5:06 pmTry using a standard pva glue from the hardware and adding just a little water, this works as well as modge podge alternative and is a LOT cheaper, also check out a product called paverpol from paverpol.com. great product.
I have also seen a homemade recipe using 1.5 cups flour, .25 cup granulated sugar with 1 cup water and , some vinegar and a drop or two of vege oil, not sure how much vinegar, I suppose it is there to provide anti bacterial protection, will have to test this. More oil, more shine apparently.
deedee
November 15, 2013 at 5:08 pmPaverpol is ideal for outside use.
Leah
November 28, 2013 at 10:53 pmyup, use regular Elmer’s glue. And definitely less water! I just add enough water to thin the glue to a brushable amount.
That said, I have only used this homemade modge podge on paper. I didn’t have yellowing issues (I did this a lot as a kid/teen), but I only kept things for a few years, usually.
I didn’t know you could buy modge podge until the last year or so when I really got into crafting websites.
Lauralee Hensley
January 1, 2014 at 12:55 amRead on other pages that if you want that recipe you gave above to have a glossy finish you have to add in about 1 tablespoon of clear varnish to the mixture. Never tried it myself though.
Hippie_Hart
February 5, 2014 at 11:11 amFound out the hard way.. Mod Podge is NOT waterproof when dry :) Do not use Mod Podge thinking it will waterproof your item… and in high humidity areas, it will get tacky even after its cure time!