Board books hold a special place in many families. These durable books for babies and toddlers withstand chewing, throwing, sitting, and more. But constant use does take a toll. Eventually the board book spine might split or come unglued. As a professional board book printing manufacturer, I will share some fixing tips. Before you throw away a cherished book, try these easy fixes to repair the spine.
How to Fix a Board Book Spine
Assess the Damage
Carefully open the book and inspect where the pages have come apart. See if just the outer spine has split or if the pages themselves are detached inside the spine. Also check if the inner spine glue has failed or if the outer covering has split first.
Simple Masking Tape Fix
If the spine split is small and the inner pages seem securely glued, you can do a quick fix with masking tape or another paper tape. Just tape right over the split on the spine piece, wrapping the tape from front to back cover. Burnish down well.
This works for minor spine splits but won’t hold up long-term if the inner spine glue has failed. It also makes the book a bit thicker. But it helps limp the book along for a while longer before attempting a more involved fix.
Glue and Clamp Method
For major spine repairs, you’ll need white glue and clamps or heavy books. PVA glue formulated for book binding and repair works great. Or you can use tacky glue or regular white school glue.
First, open the book and brush a thin layer of glue on both loose spine edges of the pages up to where the split occurs. Then rub the glue into all layers of the board pages.
Quickly press the glued edges together firmly. Slide a chunk of cardboard into the pages to act as a press block, keeping the spine folded properly.
Clamp While Glue Dries
Next, stack books or clamp around the boards to press the glued pages firmly as they dry. Avoid clamping tightly on the book boards themselves, as you don’t want to glue the pages together inside.
Leave pressing at least overnight. Carefully remove any glue squeeze-out from page edges once dry, then replace the split outer spine covering the same way with glue and pressure. Let cure completely before use.
Strengthen Spine with Duct Tape
Another option if the spine split is severe or pages deeply detached is to reinforce from the inside with duct tape strips. Tear or cut strips of tape the height of the spine from the tape center to one edge. This makes the ends easier to round and conform on the book.
Apply Two Strips of Duct Tape
First open the book, fold a strip in half to reinforce it and lightly adhere centered onto the board spine side of one page, leaving the back release paper on. Smooth down but don’t press hard yet.
Repeat with a second strip on the other page, butting up to the first strip. Rub the strips down well onto the pages, then peel off the release papers and firmly adhere strips together. Press and smooth out firmly to help the tape grab onto the pages inside the spine.
Reapply Outer Covering over Tape
Cut a cardboard strip to replace the outer spine covering if needed, then glue into place over the taped spine as before. A layer or two of book repair tape can also cover the outside, although this adds thickness to the spine area.
Other Tough Fixes for Board Books
Mending Ripped Pages: Use original or temporary adhesive to carefully realign any detached pages, applying light pressure. Small tears can be patched with strips of archival tape on the backside.
Fixing Broken Tabs or Lift-the-Flaps: Frayed edges can often be repaired with clear tape applied to both sides for reinforcement. Creased flaps usually pressed out to flatten somewhat. Detached flaps can be rehinged with archival tape strips behind the board edge.
Replacing Lost Pieces: Improvise fill board pieces to velcro, tape or glue into cavities of damaged interactive elements. Use fast-grab adhesive for wiggly toddlers!
Extending Book “Life”: Books truly loved to destruction can be photocopied or scanned to create replacement pages to insert into salvaged boards. This resurrects favored titles when board books are out of print.
With a little time and effort, you can often fix a tot’s favorite board book to enjoy a little longer. And who knows? Maybe once they learn to care for books, that taped-up favorite will remain to read to their own children later.