Material guide
Gluing Unglazed ceramic
Terracotta pots, unglazed tile and the raw body exposed on a ceramic break.
Also called bisque, plant pot, quarry tile, terracotta.
How Unglazed ceramic behaves when you bond it
Porous and thirsty, so it draws adhesive in and gives a strong mechanical key. That absorbency also means a thin adhesive can vanish into the body before it has a chance to bond.
Unglazed ceramic is a rigid porous fired body such as terracotta or an exposed fracture edge. Its pores provide mechanical anchorage but can draw low-viscosity adhesive away from the joint, and loose dust or salts form a weak boundary layer.
Material properties
- Surface energy
- High, which helps adhesion
- Porosity
- Porous
- Rigidity
- Rigid
- Maximum service temperature
- 200C
- Normally needs abrading
- No
- Normally needs a primer
- No
- Requires surface treatment
- (For porous earthenware, 3M specifies thorough drying, wire brushing and loose-particle removal rather than a universal chemical activation.) Manufacturer verified
Surface preparation
Dry thoroughly, brush and vacuum loose particles, and remove salts or contamination without saturating the body. Control soak-in with the viscosity or coat method permitted by the adhesive maker. Use light even clamping so brittle edges are not crushed and keep the bond line continuous across irregular fractures.
Which adhesives work on Unglazed ceramic
Excellent
Two-part epoxy
Two-part epoxy is rated excellent for this material as an application-level assessment, not as a blanket manufacturer claim. Suitability still depends on the other substrate, joint design and service environment.
Good
Cyanoacrylate
Cyanoacrylate is rated good for this material as an application-level assessment, not as a blanket manufacturer claim. Suitability still depends on the other substrate, joint design and service environment.
Conditional
Grab adhesive, no-nails
Grab adhesive, no-nails is rated conditional for this material as an application-level assessment, not as a blanket manufacturer claim. Use only after a product-specific test on the actual grade and joint.
Bonding Unglazed ceramic to something else
Last reviewed 8 October 2026.