Poly(N-acryloyl dopamine) (PAD) was successfully synthesized through free-radical homopolymerization of N-acryloyl-O,OЈ-diphenylmethyldopamine and subsequent deprotection. The adhesive ability of PAD to wood was studied in detail. PAD underwent substantial oxidation and crosslinking reactions at about 80°C. Therefore, maple veneer samples bonded with PAD powder at a press temperature of 120°C had high shear strength and high water resistance. In contrast to conventional wood adhesives such as phenol-formaldehyde and urea-formaldehyde resins, PAD resulted in an increase, rather than a decrease, in the shear strengths of two-ply laminated maple veneer test specimens that had undergone a water soaking and drying treatment. A mixture of PAD and polyethylenimine (PEI) resulted in much higher shear strength than PAD alone. To achieve high shear strength and high water resistance, the maple specimens bonded with PAD-PEI mixtures had to be cured above 150°C because reactions between PAD and PEI occurred at about 150°C. The water resistance of the maple specimens bonded with the PAD-PEI mixtures was dependent on the PAD:PEI weight ratio and the curing temperature.