No Pairs To Spare: Shoe Repairs You Can Do Yourself
Posted on: 5 July 2016
Whether it's an ugly scuff up the entire side of your shoe or the sole separating from the heel, chances are you've had a shoe or two that would require some repair if you want to keep wearing it. But getting a shoe professionally repaired can take a bit of money, and you may not want to spend your hard-earned money repairing shoes you bought for cheap in the first place. So what are you to do? If you're looking for a couple shoe repairs you can do yourself, then here's what you need to know.
Scuff Marks Galore
Scuff marks on leather (and patent leather) and vinyl dress shoes can be incredibly annoying and can make your nice shoes look dingy and unprofessional. Fortunately, there's a quick fix to make your shoes look as good as new – and it's easy to find in your supermarket's cosmetics aisles. Find a color of nail polish – good quality nail polish is preferable over the $1 bargain bin stuff, but either will work – that matches the shoes in question, then carefully clean your shoes so that the polish can adhere to a clean surface. Carefully fill in the scuffed areas, then keep the shoes in a safe place while the polish dries (in other words, leave them alone for an hour or two). Once you're sure it's dry, go over the scuffs with a clear topcoat to ensure the polish won't flake off.
If you cringe a bit at applying nail polish to your shoe, a permanent marker the same color as your shoe will do the trick just as well, so long as you go over it after an hour or two with your clear topcoat to set the color.
Losing Your Sole
Whether it's on a pair of beloved tennis shoes or a pair of heels you need for a conference, a sole coming loose can ruin a pair of shoes that have a few years left in them – so here's how to fix a loose sole. The first step is to leave the superglue alone – sure, it'll bind the sole back to the shoe, but superglue is quite inflexible, which is the opposite of what you want for a comfortable shoe. Instead, opt for a glue made for shoes – Shoe Goo is a common one that works on most fabrics – and slowly go through the few steps involved in the repair.
Remove the sole entirely and take care to clean both it and the shoe underneath it that you're reattaching it to. Then apply the shoe glue on both the shoe and the sole, being careful to ensure it goes all the way around the edge. Line up the sole and the shoe and then carefully press the sole back into the shoe, taking care to remove excess glue that spurts up with a damp q-tip. Once that's done, place a heavy object in the shoe (metal trophies work well; your foot does not) to ensure the seal is a tight one and leave it for a full day.
For further assistance, contact local professionals, such as those from White's Boots.
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