Check every piece is there and the puzzle is pressed flat. Slide baking paper or plastic underneath so glue can’t stick it to the table. Spread a thin coat of puzzle glue (or a PVA craft glue used thinly) over the front, working it into the joins, and wipe off any pools. Let it dry completely, as long as the label says and overnight is safest, then add a second thin coat if you want it stronger. Mount the dry puzzle on a stiff board and put it in a frame with glass or acrylic, measured from the puzzle itself, not the box. If you’d rather keep the front untouched, glue or stick sheets to the back instead.
Decide first: glue is for keeps
Once a puzzle is glued it can’t be taken apart and done again, or passed on to someone else to do. If that might matter, look at framing without glue below. And check the count before you glue: a gap is much easier to deal with now than once it’s set.
What you need
- Glue: puzzle glue sold for the job (it’s usually water-based and dries clear), or a PVA craft glue or decoupage medium. Read the label for whether to thin it and how long it takes to dry.
- Something to spread it with: a foam brush, a soft sponge, or an old plastic card used as a squeegee. Many puzzle glues come with a spreader.
- Baking paper, wax paper or plastic sheet, bigger than the puzzle, to go underneath.
- A rolling pin or a flat board, to press the puzzle flat.
- A backing board cut to size: foam board, MDF or thick card.
- A frame, if it’s going on the wall.
1. Get it flat and onto paper
Go over the finished puzzle with a rolling pin, gently, or press it with a flat board, so every piece sits down level with its neighbours. Then get the baking paper underneath. The easy way is to slide a large thin board or a sheet of stiff card under the puzzle, lift it onto the paper, and slide the card back out. Some people put the paper down before they start the puzzle, which saves this step.
2. Glue the front
Pour a little glue onto the middle of the puzzle and spread it outwards in a thin, even coat, pressing it into the joins between the pieces. Work in sections on a big puzzle. Too much glue is the most common mistake: a thick, wet coat can make cardboard pieces swell or curl, so it’s better to do two thin coats than one heavy one. Wipe off any pools and run your spreader round the edges so glue doesn’t collect along the border.
Most of these glues go on milky and dry clear. Leave it flat, somewhere it won’t be knocked, for as long as the label says, longer in damp weather. Overnight is the safe choice. Then add a second coat if you want a stronger hold or a more even finish.
Gluing the front usually leaves a slight sheen. If you’re not sure how it will look on this puzzle’s finish, try a dab on the edge of the box lid first; it’s often a similar printed card.
Or glue the back
To keep the front exactly as printed, glue the back instead. Sandwich the puzzle between two boards, hold them together firmly, and turn the whole thing over. Lift off the top board, glue the back the same way, and let it dry. There are also self-adhesive sheets sold for this: you peel off the backing and press them onto the back of the puzzle. Either way, the joins hold less firmly than with glue worked in from the front, so mount it on a board before you hang it.
3. Mount it on a board
A glued puzzle is still floppy, and it can bow on the wall. Once it’s dry, glue it (or stick it with double-sided mounting adhesive) to a stiff backing board cut to the same size: foam board is light and easy to cut, MDF is heavier and stiffer. Press it under something flat and heavy while that dries.
4. Frame it
- Measure the puzzle, not the box. Finished puzzles are often a few millimetres different from the size printed on the box. Many 1,000-piece puzzles come close to 70 × 50 cm, a common poster frame size, but check yours (our guide to puzzle sizes has typical sizes).
- With or without a mat. A mat (the card border between picture and frame) makes the puzzle look finished and hides a slightly wavy outer edge, but it makes the frame bigger. Without one, the frame needs to be the puzzle’s size, or a few millimetres over.
- Glass or acrylic. Either keeps dust off. Acrylic is lighter and safer for a big frame; glass scratches less.
- Where to hang it. Out of direct sun, which fades most printed pictures over time, and away from damp walls.
- Odd sizes. Panoramic and very large puzzles rarely fit a ready-made frame. A picture framer can make one to measure.
Framing without glue
You can frame a puzzle without gluing it if it’s held firmly flat: slide it onto a stiff backing board, put the glass on top, and close the frame so the pieces are pressed between the two. It means the puzzle can come out and be done again. The risk is movement: if the backing flexes or the frame is knocked, pieces can slip, so this suits a small puzzle better than a 2,000-piece one hung on a wall.