How To Glue Table Tennis Rubber

Table tennis rubber is not made to last for years. No matter how well you maintain the rubber of your paddle after some weeks or months it will crack or dry out. Advanced table tennis players know about this problem and they also know how to solve it.

To solve this problem, one has to attach a new rubber to their paddle. But the amateur players seem to face trouble solving this problem. They often ask their superior players how to glue table tennis rubber. I have seen many amateur players who have ruined their rubber while attaching the rubber.

As the table tennis rubber is not so affordable, therefore, one must know the proper process of attaching glue to save them from excess cost. Fortunately, we will discuss this process today. So, if you are a beginner then this article is definitely for you.

How To Remove Old Rubber From The Glue

Before attaching a paddle rubber, the first thing one must do is to remove the old existing rubber. But one must ensure to remove the rubber safely to avoid any kind of paddle damage. This process is not so time-consuming but must need to be done. It may need from 5 to 10 minutes at most.

The old rubber removal process from table tennis can be divided into 3 steps. These are:

• Peeling off the edge protector.
• Removing the rubber.
• And cleaning the glue residue.

Peeling off the edge protector- Basically, the edge of the table tennis rubber is protected with tape. This tape ensures that the rubber edge is not peeling off. One has to remove this tape first before removing the rubber. Simply, find the end of the tape and pull it out.

Removing the rubber- This is the most time-consuming process among the 3 steps. While removing rubber from the paddle, simply grab the rubber by the paddle edge. Then pull the rubber diagonally all the way to the top of the paddle. While pulling the rubber, one must ensure to pull the rubber gently. That means no rush here. If the rubber is pulled hard, the rubber may also get splinters out of the paddle. Therefore, take some time and do it perfectly to ensure the paddle remains safe from damage.

Cleaning the glue residue- After removing the rubber, check if there is any residue on the paddle. Basically, every time the rubber is removed from the paddle, there will be glue leftover. The excess table tennis glue should be removed or else attaching the new rubber will be cumbersome. Simply, use the palm to rub the glue area. Or one can use a soft cloth for this process.

If there is no glue leftover, then you are ready for attaching the new rubber. However, check whether the paddle is sealed or not. If the paddle is not sealed, then we highly recommend one to seal the paddle to increase the paddle durability.

How to glue table tennis rubber

Gluing a table tennis rubber is a very easy task. One just needs to peel off the existing rubber. Then add glue on the paddle and rubber. And let them dry out. Then put them together.

However, we will discuss the process in detail so that beginners can understand what they will need for the process and how they should attach the rubber perfectly.

But one has to ensure some accessories for attaching the rubber with the paddle. These accessories are must-have accessories. Without these accessories, one would not be able to attach the rubber with the paddle effectively.

These accessories are:

1. Water-based VOC free glue

2. Glue applicator

3. Cutter

4. Push roller

Here, we will discuss the process step by step.

Step 1: Gluing the rubber The first step is to glue the rubber. Because glue on the paddle seems to dry out first. And also, one needs to make sure to use water-based glue. To get VOC free water-based glue one can check the list of table tennis glue.

Basically, all glue pack comes with a sponge applicator. Pour some glue on the paddle and then use the applicator to spread the glue all over the rubber evenly. Make sure not to pour a lot of glue on the rubber. One should cautiously do this process. Because if the process is not done properly, then there will be bubbles all over the rubber. One can use the applicator in a round motion to do the process perfectly. Then let the rubber dry up for 10 to 15 minutes.

Step 2: Gluing the paddle Gluing the paddle is the same as gluing the rubber. Pour some glue on the paddle and use the glue applicator in a round motion to create a thin layer of glue. After spreading the glue properly, let the paddle dry up. It may take 5 minutes at most.

Step 3: Attaching the rubber to the paddle To attach the rubber, hold the rubber bottom close to the paddle handle. Then set the proper position close to the handle. After that, simply push the rubber against the paddle blade and go upwards all over the paddle blade. Then use the push roller to press the rubber against the blade for attaching the rubber perfectly. One must not try to attach the rubber from the top of the blade.

Step 4: Cut the excess rubber The size of the rubber would not exactly match with the blade. Therefore, each time you attach a new rubber there will be excess rubber around the blade. To cut the excess rubber, use the cutter gently around the paddle blade. One should make sure the cutter is not reaching towards the paddle blade because it can damage the blade.

Let the rubber sit on the blade tightly for 10 to 20 minutes. Then, you can enjoy playing with it.

However, the glue layer on the rubber and the paddle depends on the players. Some skilled players use more glue layers to attach the rubber.

How To Glue Table Tennis Rubber

When to change the table tennis paddle rubber

The answer depends on what kind of player you are. The professional players change their table tennis paddle rubber once a week. On the other hand, average table tennis players change their paddle rubber after 5 months or more.

The professional and the average table tennis players need to keep on check their skill and therefore, they need a well-performing rubber.

However, if you are a recreational table tennis player, then you can change the rubber once a year. It depends on how often you play with the paddle.

Final World

Attaching a new rubber is very essential for a table tennis player. The game depends on the paddle. If the paddle does not perform properly because of a defective rubber, then the loss of the player is ensured. Also, one has to attach a rubber with the paddle properly.

Or else there will be bubbles all over the blade. In this article, we have described how to glue table tennis rubber. This will help the amateurs to do the process perfectly. Also, we have discussed how to remove the existing rubber properly.