How to make pva glue dry transparent?
You don’t have to add water, but it’s often good to thin down “white glues” (PVA’s) to make them as clear *as possible* since white glues come in various thicknesses. Also, for clarity, it’s always best to add several thin coats rather than one thick one too… always let a coat dry thoroughly before adding another coat to prevent any moisture from being trapped (which would create less clear areas). White glues (that haven’t been colored) will dry clear and at least a bit glossy so they make good sealers and gloss finishes, but brushing them on when thick can leave brushmarks that may show after drying because the thicker areas could be a little less transparent than the thinner areas. So basically they can be thinned down almost as much as you want or need as a finish, but if you’re just gluing things together, any glue that shows after drying would be transparent but glossy (if you don’t want the gloss in that situation, use a bit of steel wool or something to sand it down a bit –t
