Fairy gardens are magical, until your little bench collapses or your mushrooms melt in the rain. 😅 Whether you’re crafting a miniature garden for your shelf or one to live outside among the plants, the type of glue and sealer you use really matters.
I’ve tested a bunch of options over time, and here’s what’s actually worked (and what hasn’t) when it comes to holding your fairy creations together, rain or shine. (but still don’t leave them too long out in the rain though)
As an Amazon and Etsy associate, I earn a small commission from your purchase, with no extra charges for you.
Best Glues for Fairy Gardens
Let’s start with glue—because if it doesn’t hold, the rest doesn’t matter!
Great for quick builds, but not always the cleanest look. Works well for sticking larger items like fairy doors or pebbles.
Pros:
Instant bond
Good for heavier items
Cons:
Can be stringy and messy
Not for small, detailed work
BEWARE: I sometimes do use a hot glue gun in my YouTube videos, because of the instant bond, which is great to create video tutorials faster, but in general, I would not use a glue gun for other miniatures than fairy garden things!
This is an industrial-strength glue that’s my top pick for outdoor fairy builds. It’s weatherproof, flexible when dry, and holds up through rain and sun.
Pros:
Waterproof
Long-lasting hold
Good for mixed materials (wood to stone, plastic to metal, etc.)
TIP!E6000 vs. B6000 – What’s the Difference? Both E6000 and B6000 are industrial-strength adhesives used in crafting, but there are slight differences. E6000 is thicker, slightly stronger, and better for heavier-duty outdoor use—it’s what I reach for when I need maximum hold in rain or sun. B6000 is a bit runnier, with a more precision-friendly nozzle, which makes it great for smaller, delicate items or fine detail work. Both are waterproof, flexible when dry, and strong enough for fairy garden builds.
TIP: To create my first fairy house, I used half of a plastic bucket and glued flat stones on it with a large silicone glue gun, which you would normally use in your household. It is still as solid as ever after all these years!
Check it out in this old video of mine! 🙂
Best Sealers for Fairy Garden Accessories
Sealers help protect your handmade fairy garden items from moisture, sun damage, and cracking. Not everything needs sealing, but here’s when and how I use it:
A water-resistant version of the classic sealer. Works well on painted items, clay, and even paper if applied carefully.
There are so many different kinds of Mod Podge on the market these days: for fabric or puzzles, for example, but what we need is basically one of the three most used: gloss, matte, and satin.
I’ve used Mod Podge on a ‘renovation’ project: my first fairy house, but even more on my three other fairy houses, and they have lasted me for a few years now already!
Renovation of my front doors and windows for my first fairy garden house, they still look great in 2025!
Pros:
There is a specific outdoor version
Brush-on application
easy on your skin
Cons:
When a fairy house or miniature piece gets wet, it gets a white ‘shine’, which does go away again after it dries.
Materials for your fairy garden that Hold Up Well Outdoors
If you’re building an outdoor fairy garden, try to work with:
Sealed wood (or use wood sealer)
Painted stones ( or just use pebbles and flat stones as decoration, just as I did )
Waterproof paints (acrylics sealed with varnish)
Polymer clay (fully baked)
Plastic odds and ends (like bottle caps, buttons)
Avoid paper, untreated fabric, and anything that could soak up moisture.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Using white glue (like school glue) outside—it won’t hold
Skipping sealer on porous materials
Using hot glue in the sun—it can soften and let things fall apart
Leaving soft clay items outside unsealed
FAQ – Glues and Sealers for Fairy Gardens
Q: What glue is best for outdoor fairy gardens? E6000 or silicone glue. Both are waterproof and bond well to a variety of materials.
Q: Do I need to seal items for a fairy garden? Yes, especially if they’re made from porous or painted materials and will be outside. A sealer helps them last longer.
Q: Can I use Mod Podge? Yes, but only the Outdoor version. Regular Mod Podge isn’t designed for moisture.
Q: Can I leave polymer clay outside? Yes, as long as it’s fully baked and ideally sealed for extra protection.
My Final Conclusion
If you’ve tried other glues or sealers that worked (or failed), I’d love to hear about it—leave a comment down below or find me on my socials!
Fairy gardens are half art, half experiment—and sharing what works helps us all keep the magic going.
5 thoughts on “Miniature Fairy Garden Tips: What Glues and Sealers Actually Work”
This article is very useful. I have a close friend who’s very interested in this kind of stuff and he is using this quarantine period to do more miniature creations. I will bookmark this article and I will send to him later. He’s always talking about the different types of sealers and how they all have pros and cons. I am sure he will enjoy this article.
I’m afraid that my hands and eyes aren’t steady and sharp enough to work with things so small. I have trouble replacing my hearing aid batteries.LOL, My expertise has been with woodworking. (Much bigger objects.) However, I found that your tutorials were very thorough and easy to understand. I have worked with most of the glues that you compared and would not disagree with any of your opinions. I am surprised though, that you didn’t have some affiliate links within any of your posts.Is that something that you intend to add later, perhaps. Over all you have an attractive site. ?
First of all, thank you very much for your wonderful compliments !
About the affiliate links, my site is fairly new , so those will have to wait a bit longer 😉
I’m sorry about your hands not being steady enough anymore, but for your eyes, there might be a solution: a magnifier lamp. I will write an article about those soon, it really helped me a lot to work with miniatures.
I must say that i am impressed with your work and you have done it with so much precision. these are different types of glue but i do not think that we need to make use of all the types when building. do we? i am trying to make something small of my own so i would need the best glue.
Off course you don’t need to use all of them for the same project, but if you read the pros and cons off the glues, you can decide wich one you are going to buy/use 😉
This article is very useful. I have a close friend who’s very interested in this kind of stuff and he is using this quarantine period to do more miniature creations. I will bookmark this article and I will send to him later. He’s always talking about the different types of sealers and how they all have pros and cons. I am sure he will enjoy this article.
I’m afraid that my hands and eyes aren’t steady and sharp enough to work with things so small. I have trouble replacing my hearing aid batteries.LOL, My expertise has been with woodworking. (Much bigger objects.)
However, I found that your tutorials were very thorough and easy to understand. I have worked with most of the glues that you compared and would not disagree with any of your opinions. I am surprised though, that you didn’t have some affiliate links within any of your posts.Is that something that you intend to add later, perhaps. Over all you have an attractive site.
?
Hi Dane !
First of all, thank you very much for your wonderful compliments !
About the affiliate links, my site is fairly new , so those will have to wait a bit longer 😉
I’m sorry about your hands not being steady enough anymore, but for your eyes, there might be a solution: a magnifier lamp. I will write an article about those soon, it really helped me a lot to work with miniatures.
happy crafting (big or small pieces haha)
Lizzy
I must say that i am impressed with your work and you have done it with so much precision. these are different types of glue but i do not think that we need to make use of all the types when building. do we? i am trying to make something small of my own so i would need the best glue.
Hi Smoochi!
Off course you don’t need to use all of them for the same project, but if you read the pros and cons off the glues, you can decide wich one you are going to buy/use 😉
happy crafting !