How to Rebind a Book

Repairing the Spine Only

Remove the original spine. Approximately half an inch (1 cm) from the spine of the book, use a utility knife to cut into the cover's book cloth on both the front and the back. Avoid cutting along the hinges, as these connect the cover to the text block. You can then take the bone folder and gently pry the spine off of the book.

Measure the spine. Either measure the spine that you just removed, or measure the space between the hinges on your textblock. Cut a piece of cardboard or Bristol board to match this measurement.

Get your fabric ready. Select a sturdy piece of cotton or linen fabric that matches the current cover of your book. Measure it to equal the size of the spine, and then add an additional inch to the length and two inches to the width. Cut the fabric out in this shape.

Add your spine to the book cloth. Cover the back of your spine with book binding glue, and center it over the book cloth. Cut the corners of the fabric off at 45 degree angles, and add glue to the bottom edge of the board. Fold the top and bottom of the book cloth over and press it into the spine.

Remove glue from the old spine. Using the utility knife, chip away as much of the old spine's glue as you can from the text block. You want the new spine to have a clean start, so make sure it sticks by properly preparing the space it will fit.

Prepare the book for a new outer spine. Place the book with the spine edge facing up. Use bricks to hold it in place. Glue a spine liner paper to the pages of the book.

Place the new spine. Put glue on the exposed book cloth of the new spine. Carefully drape the new spine over the book. Starting from the spine, push the book cloth onto the cover. Use a bone folder to remove any air bubbles. Wrap the book cloth around the top and bottom of the original cover.

Allow it to dry. Place the finished book into a book press overnight to dry. Place a piece of waxed paper inside the cover to prevent the pages from sticking.

Replacing the Entire Cover

Remove the old cover. Your current book cover could be mostly attached or it may be hanging on by a thread; regardless, carefully remove the entire cover including the spine from your book. Use an x-acto knife with a fresh blade to remove excess glue, ripped pages, or threads that are sticking out from the text block.

Make your measurements. Measure the covers and spine you just removed, or measure the text block itself. If you choose to do the latter, add an additional 3/8 inch to the height.

Cut out your new covers. Use the measurements you've just taken to cut out three pieces of bristol board. You should have two cover pieces and the spine.

Prepare your book cloth. Select a piece of sturdy cotton or linen fabric to act as the book cloth. Place the three pieces of the bristol board onto the cloth, with 3/8 of an inch in between each cover and the spine. Measure a 1 inch margin around the entire cover, and cut out the fabric into this large rectangular shape.

Create your cover. Add a thick layer of book binding glue to the backside of your board cutouts, and place them in the same location as they were when you measured the fabric. Cut the corners of the fabric off at a 45 degree angle, and fold all the edges of the fabric over onto the inside of the covers. Add more binding glue to the inside, and use a bone folder to stick the fabric in place.

Sew in end pages. A new cover needs end pages to glue the cover to the book. Use heavy stock paper for the end pages. Use a needle to weave the thread between the new end pages and the old sections of the book.

Add the new cover. Add a solid layer of glue to the inside of the front cover, and place the text block on the back cover. Fold over the end page in the front, and use a bone folder to smooth it out and securely glue it to the front cover. Repeat the same process with the back cover.

Let the cover dry. Place the book in a book press overnight to dry. Place a piece of waxed paper in between the end pages and the text block to prevent pages from sticking.