Did your favorite coffee mug lose its handle? Here’s how to fix a broken coffee cup quickly and simply. The repair is even dishwasher safe!
The mug above is a beautiful, hand-thrown coffee cup from The Vegan Dish, my very favorite potter on Etsy. I bought it at the Indie Craft Experience, and it’s the perfect size for my morning cup. It’s my favorite mug, so of course I managed to break the handle off within days of buying it. My poor mug sat sadly on a shelf until I finally pulled it together to repair it.
The thing about fixing this mug is that I didn’t just want to fix it. I wanted my repair to be dishwasher safe. Hand-washing dishes is not on my agenda with a toddler to chase, meals to fix, and freelance deadlines to meet. The tutorial below shows you how to fix a broken coffee cup handle so that you can wash that sucker in the dishwasher.
Related: How to Repair a Torn Lampshade, Repair a Tear in Your Favorite Table Cloth
My mug has been through many cycles in the top rack of my dishwasher and is still holding up strong, so I’m feeling confident that I’ve got a sharable solution here! Yay!
One caveat: I am not sure I recommend this method to fix a broken coffee cup beyond the handle. I have no idea how Gorilla Glue interacts with food, especially hot drinks like coffee and tea. I do not want to be responsible for adhesive leaching into your beverage. Since a cup handle doesn't touch your drink, though, this isn't a concern for this specific use.
How to Fix a Broken Coffee Cup Handle
Materials
- broken coffee cup
- Gorilla Super Glue – I know, this is not the greenest craft supply, but this glue is very durable. I can’t vouch that other super glues will hold up to the dishwasher.
- something to protect your work surface, like newspaper or an old piece of cardboard
Directions
1. Piece your handle together. This is especially important if your handle broke into more than two pieces. Once you apply the glue, you need to work fast, so lay out your handle on the table to make it easy to grab the piece you need and orient it.
2. Rebuild your broken coffee cup handle. Apply glue to one of the broken pieces, then press the matching piece to it. Press firmly and hold for 60 seconds to get a nice strong bond going. Repeat until you have a completed mug handle. Set this aside and let it cure for a bit. Just 10 or 15 minutes is fine. You just want to give the glue some extra time to bond, so your handle will be nice and strong when you attach it to the mug.
3. Attach the handle to your coffee cup. Apply your glue to the broken ends of your mug handle, and press the whole thing firmly onto your mug for 60 seconds. Let the mug dry overnight before washing and using.
Note: Your repaired coffee cup handle may have some small pieces of glue that stick out of the repaired areas. That’s ok! They will chip off over time.
I originally published a version of this article at Crafting a Green World
Micah
Hello, I successfully glued my handle back on my coffee mug but now I have ruff edges where some of the paint had chipped off. I was thinking of using some paint to paint over the ruff exposed areas. Do you have any suggestions?
Becky Striepe
You might try sanding it down gently with a file.
David
Use a jeweler's file. The diamond it is coated with is harder than the ceramic.
Becky Striepe
What a great tip! Thank you, David.
Mug question
Is this mug still in working order after over a year of dishwasher use?
Becky Striepe
I dropped it, and it broke beyond repair :(
Jack C
Did as explained,used Gorilla Super glue ,,little trick herein ...apply glue to both pieces to be put together..,.
'let both dry for a full minute ,, THEN put tacky pieces together ,,, hold together for at least a minute if three or more pieces are to be glued.together,,,do the first 2 pieces first ,,,then again,, glue the ends of both pieces to be
glued,,, wait for these pieces to marry to the glue 1-2 minutes, then place together ,,,
This process works I started with a handle to the bottom base ,, built on that ,, , thanks Becky ,,nice article!!
Jack C
Alex C
Tried this method... sorry to report it didn't work well. Not sure if there are different varieties of gorilla glue, but the kind I used remained too loose after 60 seconds to hold more than a few minutes. Repeated holding down for 20 and 30 minutes, but it's just not kept in place.
Becky Striepe
Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear that. :(
Kadree
For anyone else in my shoes - I have a broken mug but it's broken along the cup part (not just the handle) so I wanted to find a food-safe glue - there's a list here:
https://www.gluehow.com/recommendation/Ceramic/to/Ceramic
Becky Striepe
Thank you for sharing this, Kadree!
Helen
I know it's been a while, but thank you so much for sharing, Kadree !! That's exactly what I was looking for :)
Joseph
Ya thank you Sleepy and Kadree
Cadry's Kitchen
I recognized Jeanette's work right away when this picture showed up in my feed! I love her hand drawn pieces. I can only imagine how sad you were when it broke!! My favorite mug is one of hers too. I use it daily. I'm glad you were able to get yours back to working order again!
Becky Striepe
I had a feeling that you'd recognize her handiwork! Vegan potters, unite!