Repair a Broken Notepad

It is annoying when the magnetic shopping list sags on the refrigerator door and ultimately breaks from the backing. Don't waste money buying a new one. You can easily fix the one you have.

All you need to fix your notepad is glue that remains flexible after drying (Elmer's type) and a couple clamps.

You want to start by removing the old glue from the top of the pad. It is not necessary to get all of the glue off because a thin layer will keep all of the sheets together. You can pull it off or trim it with scissors.

Sometimes the pad breaks in the middle and half is attached to the backing. That's okay. Just line up the parts. The top edges of the paper do not have to be level. They may be a little concave because of the old glue. That will give you a groove to put the new glue in.

Once you are satisfied with your alignment job, clamp it with whatever you have available. Clothes pins, binder clips, paper clips... these all work.

Apply a generous bead of glue to the top of the notepad. Be sure the glue touches the top of the backing if that is where it failed to hold up before.

Prop the pad up somewhere and give it several hours for the glue to cure. The bead will shrink and turn clear as it dries and your note pad will be as good as new. Depending on how heavy your notepad is, you can add an extra bead of glue after the first one dries, but I have not found that to be necessary.

You can easily convert a non magnetic pad into a magnetic one by cutting a piece of cardboard the same size as your paper, stick a magnet on it and glue top up in the manner described in the steps above. In fact, you could make your own custom note pads in this way.

Thanks for reading!