I want to glue a printed sheet of paper to a wooden base. The last time I tried something like this I used white glue and the paper warped and went all bumpy and wavy, probably from the moisture in the glue. Any hints on how to do this and get a perfectly smooth surface?
Use PVA glue but keep the glue very thinly spread. The wood should look wet rather than white from the glue
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Wonder if 3M spray adhesive would work?
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Yes, I use Super 77 sprayed from the can. After spray, you let it sit for a minute to create a tacky surface that is even. Then burnish it down onto the wood surface like a skateboard sticker
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Yeah, I used a spray adhesive once and it stunk up my basement for days! 
The wife wasnât too pleased either! Since then Iâve stayed away from spray adhesive. Iâll try thinner applications of white glue, or acrylic varnish, though.
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Get some MicroMark Pressure Sensitive Adhesive (PVA). Itâs water based. You brush it on either surface, probably the wood one. Give it a couple of minutes to become ânot wetâ. It doesnât dry. It just get real sticky. Start the paper at one corner, align it and work it down to the other edge. It works very well. I also use it to put window glazing into windows with laser cut frames. It doesnât craze plastics and dries clear. But itâs still sticky! Itâs very similar to the material on the back of self-stick labels.
I almost forgot this product that Iâve used for this similar application. Double stick tape. See picture. They make thick foam tapes or super thin adhesive tapes which is essentially the thickness of gift wrap tape.
Tape to the entire back surface of your printed paper then trim to size with a #11 blade. If your printed paper is bigger than the width of the tape then place them side by side but donât overlap or it will show a narrow bump on the viewed side. After dry fitting into position to make sure of correct size and alignment, peel the backing. Then stick on your printed paper like the self adhesive sticker youâve just created.
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When using spray adhesives ALWAYS âtake it outdoorsâ. The spray itself and the smell are horribly invasive indoors and think what that gunk would do to you lungs.
YeahâŚadvice already noted, and I took my project outside to spray when it was still a nice warm summer day. Paper was successfully glued down reasonably smooth. Project is coming along nicely now .
