GORILLA Permanent Adhesive Dots, Double-Sided, Clear, 0.5" Diameter, 150 Pieces (Pack of 1) - No Mess, Photo Safe

Why I reached for Gorilla adhesive dots

I wanted a clean, fast alternative to liquid glue for a scrapbook project and a few quick home fixes—mounting photos, securing a lightweight poster, and attaching embellishments to a gift box. I tried Gorilla adhesive dots because they promise instant tack, a clear finish, and compatibility with a wide range of surfaces. After a few weeks of real-world use, here’s how they stack up.

Design and format

Each dot is a 0.5-inch, crystal-clear, double-sided adhesive disc. They come on flat sheets rather than a roll, which I actually prefer; it’s easier to see and place a single dot without wrestling with a dispenser. At 150 dots per pack, there’s a decent supply for craft sessions, classrooms, or a home office drawer. The adhesive is acid-free and labeled photo-safe, which matters if you’re mounting prints or working in archival albums. The dots are very thin, so they keep layers flush without adding the raised profile you get from foam squares.

Because they’re clear and low-sheen, they disappear nicely behind glossy photo paper, acrylic tags, acetate, plastic, and glass. Under very thin or translucent papers, you can sometimes see a faint “wet” spot where the adhesive makes contact. If you’re working with tissue or vellum, plan your placement behind opaque design elements or use a second layer of paper to hide the bond line.

Application experience

These are pressure-sensitive and grab instantly, so technique matters. A few tips from my bench:

• Don’t handle the dots directly if you can help it. Cut a strip from the sheet, peel the clear side, stick the exposed side to your item, then remove the paper liner to reveal the second adhesive face. That keeps the dot from stretching or balling up and prevents it from gluing itself to your fingers.
• Burnish firmly. Pressing with a fingernail, bone folder, or the back of a spoon increases contact and dramatically improves hold.
• Prep surfaces. A quick wipe with isopropyl alcohol on glass, metal, and smooth plastics pays off. Dust, oils, and chalky paint will sabotage adhesion.

If you grab a dot with your fingers, expect it to be stubborn. They’re tacky enough to cling, and prying one off your skin can distort it. Using tweezers or leaving one liner in place as a “handle” makes life easier.

Holding power across surfaces

For what they are—thin, double-sided adhesive—they hold impressively well on smooth, non-porous materials and standard paper stocks. Here’s how my tests fared:

• Photos to cardstock: Instant, clean bond with no warping. I could pick up the page by the photo corner without lift.
• Plastic embellishments to paper: Rock solid. The clear adhesive is great for acrylic shapes because you don’t see it through the edges.
• Ribbon to glass jar: Held through a weekend event and removal took elbow grease.
• Light poster to painted drywall: Mixed results. In a hallway with stable temperature, four dots (one per corner) kept a 12 x 18 paper poster up for several days, but I did get one corner curling after some humidity swings. Adding a dot mid-edge fixed it, but I wouldn’t use these as a long-term poster solution on walls you care about.
• Painted cinder block: Surprisingly good. The paint created a smoother surface than bare block, and the dots stuck well for a week in a classroom test.
• Bare concrete or rough brick: Not reliable. The texture and dust make it tough for these thin dots to bite.
• Canvas panel (8 x 10) to painted wall: Marginal. It held briefly, then let go overnight. The combination of weight and slight texture is not ideal for this adhesive.
• Balloons: I don’t recommend it. The dot either slides or pulls the latex uncomfortably; not worth the risk of pops or slow releases.

In short, smooth and sealed surfaces are the sweet spot. Textured, dusty, or porous materials are a challenge, and heavier items need more robust hardware or a foam adhesive that can bridge gaps.

Permanence and removal

“Permanent” here reads as “strong PSA that doesn’t cure,” not an epoxy. On paper-to-paper or plastic-to-paper bonds, removal usually tears fibers or leaves residue, which is what I’d expect from a permanent dot. On glass and metal, the dots can be scraped off, but you’ll likely need adhesive remover or alcohol to get rid of the last smudges.

On painted walls, caution is warranted. If the paint is sound and semi-gloss or gloss, removal can be clean with careful peeling. On flat or chalky paint, you can lift paint if you pull quickly or if the dot has been in place for a while. If wall safety matters, use removable poster tabs instead.

These aren’t repositionable. You get a few seconds of grace if you’ve only lightly placed a dot, but once you burnish, that’s the bond.

Everyday uses that suit these dots

• Scrapbooking and card making: The thin, clear bond is great for clean layouts, photo corners, sequins, chipboard accents, and attaching acetate windows.
• Office and classroom: Temporary signage on smooth doors, securing name plates, keeping cable tags in place, and quick fixes where tape looks messy.
• Event decor: Attaching lightweight elements to glass, plastic, or coated paper surfaces for a day or two. For longer installs or textured walls, step up to a mounting strip.

I wouldn’t trust them for hanging canvases, mounting on bare concrete, or any application with flexing substrates (balloons, soft vinyl) or significant weight.

Comparisons and trade-offs

• Versus liquid glue: Cleaner, faster, and no warping on paper. You sacrifice the ability to spread adhesive across irregular shapes, and you can’t slide pieces into alignment once they’re down.
• Versus double-sided tape runners: Tape is better for long edges and continuous lines; dots excel at discrete attachment points and small items.
• Versus foam squares/dots: Foam gives gap-filling and dimension; these keep layers flush and invisible but won’t bridge texture.
• Versus removable poster strips: If wall safety and removability are priorities, use removable strips. If invisibility and a thin bond on smooth substrates are key, these dots shine.

Practical tips for better results

• Use more dots for heavier items. A simple rule: one 0.5-inch dot per 2 x 2 inches of lightweight material on smooth surfaces.
• Condition matters. Extremely cold or dusty environments reduce tack. Room temperature, clean surfaces maximize grip.
• Store sealed and flat. Heat can make the dots migrate on the liner, and dust kills adhesion.
• Hide the dot under structural areas (behind printed text blocks, double layers of cardstock) if you’re working with semi-translucent materials.

Value

A single pack with 150 dots goes a long way for craft projects and quick fixes. Because each dot is a fixed size, you can’t easily “trim” adhesive the way you would a strip of tape, but the 0.5-inch diameter hits a sweet spot for most embellishments and photo corners. For large items, you’ll burn through dots quickly; that’s when a tape runner or mounting strip becomes more economical.

The bottom line

Gorilla adhesive dots are a tidy, reliable solution for bonding photos, paper, and lightweight items to smooth surfaces. They’re crystal clear, thin, truly mess-free, and strong for their size. Their limitations are predictable: they don’t like rough or dusty substrates, they’re not meant for significant weight or flexible materials like balloons, and they aren’t repositionable. Used where they’re designed to excel—crafting, photo work, and small mounting tasks on smooth, sealed surfaces—they’re a pleasure to use.

Recommendation: I recommend these for crafters, teachers, and anyone who wants a clean, instant bond for lightweight materials on smooth surfaces. If your use case involves textured walls, bare concrete, heavier decor, or a need for easy removability, choose a different mounting solution.