Is PVA glue really better than wheat paste for cloth covers?

I read a 20 year old bookbinding forum post that said wheat paste causes mold on cloth covers within 5 years. But my mentor swears by wheat paste and says her books from the 90s look fine. I've been using PVA for my last 30 bindings because it dries faster, but the smell bothers me. Has anyone here actually seen mold on a wheat paste binding or is that just an old wives tale?

3 comments

3 Comments

nancys906d ago

That "mold on cloth covers" thing usually happens from humidity, not the paste itself.

jackson.sarah3d ago

3M actually did a study on this a few years back, tbh. @ivan211 is right about the 60% humidity threshold, I read that's exactly where mold starts to form. Ngl, if you keep the room under 50% you won't have cloth cover issues even with the paste.

ivan2115d ago

Wait, is your humidity consistently above 60% in that room?