Time is money for florists designing trendy wearable flower fashions – floral couture, floral jewelry, flower headpiece designs, and personal flowers for special events.
Labor is a major expense for a flower shop. Business-savvy florists are constantly looking for faster, easier ways to work smarter, not harder.
One effective shortcut? Gluing flowers instead of wiring and taping them.
Using Oasis’ specially formulated floral adhesive (often called cold glue) lets you:
• Speed up production
• Reduce bulk and mechanics
• Create lighter, more wearable, “unwired” floral designs
• Choose 24 gauge for flexibility and design versatility.
Different types of adhesives serve different purposes.
How OASIS® Floral Adhesive Works
Floral adhesive allows you to build profitable, lightweight designs like corsages, boutonnieres, wristlets, floral bracelets, and floral jewelry for weddings, prom, homecoming, and more.
• Fast-drying, waterproof, and safe for fresh flowers - it doesn’t brown petals.
• For easier control of glue flow slightly flatten the tube nozzle to an oval shape, using the flat side of needle-nose or jewelry pliers.
Professional Tips for Using OASIS® Floral Adhesive
Make “gluing” your go-to mechanic with these fast and easy techniques:
• Dipping the end of the flower stem into a small puddle of adhesive.
• Dripping the adhesive from its tube directly onto the flower stem.
Dip the flower stem into glue –
• Place a small dab of the cold adhesive onto a square of plastic.
• Add a drop of adhesive where the flower will sit.
• Work with small glue puddles - glue dries quickly. Add fresh glue when it thickens.
• Dip the end of the flower stem into the wet adhesive.
• Insert into the design and hold for a few seconds until the glue becomes tacky.
• Allow glue to dry fully before placing the design in the cooler.
• Hydrated glue cannot dehydrate in a moist environment and will not set properly.
Add glue to the flower stem -
• Glue adheres to glue - apply adhesive to both surfaces.
• Position flower stem and hold for a few seconds until glue is tacky enough hold in place.
Keep your glue tubes working
• Clean the nozzle before replacing the cap.
• To prevent cap sticking, apply petroleum jelly, lotion, cooking oil, or Pam to tip and cap.
• Rub hands with an oil-based product to help prevent sticking and make clean-up easier.
• After use, wash hands with mildly hot water to help remove the glue.
• Store used tubes, with caps securely closed, upright with tip pointing down.
• Save used caps to replace lost ones.
• Seal tubes temporarily by inserting a corsage pin into nozzle, or wrapping in plastic.
When should you NOT use OASIS® Floral Adhesive?
• When designing in foam that is already wet.
• Placing materials on a heavy design framework.
• On stems that exude excessive sap or moisture – like spring bulb flowers.
• In extreme hot or cold environments.
• With very fragile blooms or petals that can tear easily.
• Designs that may be exposed to water.
• When working with fresh food surfaces.
OASIS® Floral Adhesive is available in 39-gram tubes or 8 oz can and squeeze bottle application.
UGLU – When You Need Tape-Like Adhesive Strength
OASIS® UGLU™ Adhesive - a dry adhesive that grips instantly and works like super-strong tape. UGLU comes strips, roll, or dashes.
Use UGLU for:
• Attaching boutonniere backs to lapels.
• Securing materials onto mechanics or forms.
• Apply adhesive to your base surface, peel the paper liner, and press firmly.
• A well-placed 3” strip can hold up to 2 lbs when properly bonded.
• Cut OASIS® UGLU™ with serrated scissors. Coat blades with oil or dip in water to prevent sticking.
Bonding Basics: Room Temperature Matters
• Neither OASIS® Floral Adhesive nor OASIS® UGLU™ bonds well to hot, cold, or damp surfaces.
• After removing flowers from the cooler, let them warm briefly at room temperature.
• Remind customers to avoid hot cars or freezers. Extreme temps weaken adhesive grip.
Prep Surfaces for a Secure Hold
Adhesives struggle to hold when placed on dusty, oily or slick surfaces.
• Clean surfaces before bonding.
• Remove oils from skin with rubbing alcohol if OASIS® UGLU™ will be applied.
• Lightly rough smooth or slick surfaces to for a tighter adhesive grip.
Mix & Match Your Mechanics
Prefer wiring and taping techniques? Keep using them!
• Also experiment with glued accents for speed, lighter weight, and design flexibility.
• Try using a mix of both. Wire and tape basic structure - glue accent flowers in place.
De-stress Wedding Bouquets with FLORALOCK™ Plus Stem Adhesive
No one wants to watch ‘things fall apart’ for a bride on her wedding day.
Wedding florists know that bouquets can experience accidental abuse.
Being dropped, hugged, tossed or bumped can damage the floral foam base.
FLORALOCK™ Plus Stem Adhesive spray locks stems into foam permanently:
• Absorbs into the foam.
• Hardens outer surfaces.
• Prevents stems from loosening or falling out.
1. Shake can well.
2. Insert the red tube firmly into nozzle.
3. Place tube between flowers into foam.
4. Spray in short bursts so foam absorbs slowly.
5. Apply in multiple areas for full support.
6. Avoid over-saturating to prevent leak-back.
7. Wash tube with hot, soapy water so it doesn’t clog.
8. Tape tube back to can for storage.
Which Adhesive Works Best?
It depends on:
• Purpose of design.
• Size of design.
• Weight of materials.
• Expected handling/wear.
• Desired mechanic strength.
Experiment with OASIS® Floral Adhesive dip or drip, OASIS® UGLU™ Adhesive, FLORALOCK™ Plus Stem Adhesive, or try a mix of attachment techniques.
Which adhesive works best for your design work?
It depends on the needs and use of each design. Experiment with all three types of gluing products offered by oasisfloralproducts.com and choose the option that works best for each of your creative designs.
Which gluing technique is your favorite?