Silicates were never designed to be adhesives but they happen to work as adhesives. Because liquid silicates dehydrate (or dry), they can be used as glues to bond surfaces together. Silicates lose water to the air or to the surfaces being glued. As a silicate dries, its viscosity increases and it becomes tacky and sticky. Eventually the silicate dries to form a hard, glasslike bond.

Silicates usually work well with porous or semi-porous surfaces, where the silicate can partially penetrate the surface. Silicates can also bond metal and glass, but surfaces must be roughened or attacked chemically to make sure that a good physical bond can be formed.