5 Repair Methods Compared — From Superglue to Kintsugi

It happens to everyone. A favourite plate slips from a wet hand. A mug falls from a shelf. A bowl you have owned for twenty years meets the edge of the sink at the wrong angle. For a moment you stand there, looking at the pieces on the floor, and you feel — unreasonably, perhaps — genuinely sad.

The question, once the sadness passes, is practical: what do you actually do with a broken ceramic? The answer depends on what the piece means to you, how you plan to use it afterwards, and how much time and money you are willing to invest. Here are five methods, honestly compared.

Table of Contents

1.  Superglue (Cyanoacrylate Adhesive)

2.  Two-Part Epoxy Resin

3.  Ceramic Repair Putty / Filler

4.  Professional Ceramic Restoration

5.  Kintsugi — Honkintsugi vs Modern

6.  Which Method Is Right for You?

Method 1: Superglue (Cyanoacrylate Adhesive)

Best for: Quick repairs on decorative pieces you no longer plan to use for food or drink.

Superglue is the first thing most people reach for, and for a simple break — a clean fracture, two large pieces, minimal chip loss — it can produce a surprisingly tidy result. Modern cyanoacrylate adhesives bond fast, dry nearly clear, and are widely available.

The drawbacks are significant, however.

•       Not food-safe once it contacts liquids repeatedly.

•       Yellows over time, making the repair increasingly visible.

•       Brittle — a repaired piece dropped even lightly often breaks again at the same join.

•       Superglue residue is notoriously difficult to remove from porous ceramic surfaces, complicating any future proper restoration.

Verdict: Acceptable for a purely decorative shelf piece. Not recommended for anything functional, valuable, or long-term.

Method 2: Two-Part Epoxy Resin

Best for: Structural repairs where strength matters more than aesthetics.

Epoxy adhesives offer more strength than superglue and are resistant to water and heat up to a point. Some food-safe formulations exist, though this varies by product and should be verified carefully.

Limitations

•       Even the clearest epoxy dries with a yellowish tint and shrinks slightly during curing.

•       Degrades over time — typical estimates suggest meaningful weakening within 20 years.

•       Unlike urushi, which grows stronger with age, epoxy becomes more brittle over decades.

Note: Many kits sold as 'modern kintsugi' use a variant of epoxy mixed with gold-coloured mica powder. While these look similar to traditional kintsugi in photographs, they are essentially epoxy with gold pigment added. They are generally not food-safe and not the same as the urushi-based process described in Method 5.

Verdict: A practical choice for functional repairs. Not the same as kintsugi, despite some products' marketing.

Method 3: Ceramic Repair Putty / Filler

Best for: Filling chips, missing pieces, and restoring the surface profile.

When the damage is a chip rather than a clean break, ceramic repair putties are designed to fill these gaps. Results vary considerably by product quality. Even the best colour-matched fill is visible under certain light, and putty repairs remain structurally fragile.

Verdict: Useful as part of a broader restoration. Not a standalone structural solution.

Method 4: Professional Ceramic Restoration

Best for: Antiques, museum-quality pieces, or ceramics of significant monetary value.

Professional ceramic conservators can perform restorations that are, to the naked eye, completely invisible. Missing sections can be reconstructed, colour-matched to the original glaze, and finished to the same surface texture.

The significant caveat is cost — a single piece can run to several hundred pounds or dollars, sometimes considerably more. There is also a philosophical point: a perfectly invisible repair erases the history of the object.

Verdict: Right for genuinely valuable antiques. In some respects, a missed opportunity for anything else.

Method 5: Kintsugi — Honkintsugi vs Modern

Before comparing kintsugi to the methods above, it is worth being clear about one important distinction: there are two very different things sold under the name 'kintsugi,' and confusing them leads to real disappointment.

Modern Kintsugi

Modern kintsugi kits use synthetic resins mixed with gold-coloured mica or metallic pigments. They look similar to traditional kintsugi in photographs and can be completed in a day. However, they are essentially a variant of Method 2 (epoxy) with decorative gold pigment added — generally not food-safe, not durable long-term, and without the material or philosophical depth of the traditional process.

Honkintsugi (本金継ぎ) — Traditional Kintsugi

Honkintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken ceramics with urushi (漆) lacquer and genuine gold, silver, or platinum powder. Rather than hiding the break, it celebrates it — the gold seams running across the surface become a feature, not a flaw.

•       Permanent: Urushi lacquer grows stronger over decades and centuries. A proper honkintsugi repair is designed to outlast its owner.

•       Food-safe: Properly cured urushi has been used on Japanese tableware for thousands of years.

•       Beautiful: The gold transforms the damage. The broken bowl becomes something that could not have existed without having first been broken.

•       Meaningful: Every piece carries a visible record of what it has been through — damage, survival, and careful attention.

•       Time-intensive: A traditional repair requires 6 weeks to 3 months, at 20–30°C and 70–85% humidity. There are no shortcuts.

Verdict: The most time-intensive and costly option — and, for a piece that genuinely matters to you, quite possibly the best.

6. Which Method Is Right for You?

•       No special meaning, just needs to hold together on a shelf: Superglue.

•       Functional, needs a durable practical fix: Epoxy.

•       High-value antique: Professional conservation.

•       Kintsugi look quickly and inexpensively, modest expectations: Modern kintsugi kit — but note it is not food-safe.

•       Something you love, repair that honours its history: Honkintsugi is worth considering seriously.

The break does not have to be the end of the story. With the right approach, it can be one of the most interesting chapters.

All pieces at atelier_muho are repaired using traditional urushi and genuine gold powder, following the full honkintsugi process.

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