How to Repair Bumped Corners on a Hardcover Book

Introduction

Although hardcover books are more durable than paperback, they are prone to damage over time due to many factors, such as bookshelf organization and book handling. Bumped corners are a common type of damage for hardcover books. Luckily, following this guide will strengthen the overall condition of your book with a few safe and simple steps!

Disclaimer: The time estimate is for one hardcover corner, as it takes 5-10 minutes to complete steps 1-5 with a 30-minute wait time from step 5. It will take a little longer than 35-45 minutes to do more than one corner.

What you need

Step 1 How to Repair Bumped Corners on a Hardcover Book

How to Repair Bumped Corners on a Hardcover Book, How to Repair Bumped Corners on a Hardcover Book: step 1, image 1 of 1

Open the book to one cover corner.
Apply the PVA glue on a bumped corner using the glue tip or a small paintbrush.
Coat the worn layers with the same paintbrush.
The corner layers should be well-saturated for them to stick together.

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Step 2

Pinch the corner layers together with a piece of cloth.
Remove excess glue with paper towels or a cloth rag.
Pinching the corner layers will help them stick together with the glue.
The cloth will provide minimal mess and remove excess glue.

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Step 3

Wrap the entire corner with a small sheet of wax paper.
The wax paper will protect the work done on the corner for the next steps.

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Step 4

Put one piece of wood chipboard on each side of the corner.
The wood chipboard will prevent the book corner from denting in the next step.

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Step 5

Clamp everything together.
Let everything dry for 30 minutes.
This book-binding method ensures enough time and support for the bumped corner to transform into better condition.