Some of us cannot bear to part with a favorite pair of shoes. I, for one, stand guilty as charged. I still wear my favorite pair of knee-high brown boots despite the fact that their soles are marred with cracks that let the water in (not to mention all kinds of other street fluid whose origins I’d rather not think about) and make an embarrassing “popping” sound that turns heads every time I walk down the street. My favorite pair of Saltwater Sandals (purchased at age 13 and worn proudly until age 21) went through a whole series of color transformations from blue to green to silver to gold to hot pink. Every time the sandals started to look a bit worse-for-wear, I’d run to the corner store and buy another bottle of spray paint to color the sandals anew.
Yes, for some of us, shoes are sentimental possessions, and it is worth going the extra mile (and saving the extra dime) to make a simple shoe repair rather than looking for a replacement. (As if my brown boots could ever be replaced!) One of the most common shoe repairs is resoling a shoe. Here’s a brief summary of how you can perform this simple repair in the comfort of your own home:
The first step is to visit your local shoe repair shop. You will need to purchase some kind of shoe glue or shoe cement (Shoe Goo is a common brand) as well as new soles for your shoes. Choose between half-soles and full-soles. (This will largely depend on whether your shoe has a flat sole or an elevated heel.) Some people choose to buy foam sole material and then cut out perfectly sized soles themselves.
After returning from the shoe supply store, start the resoling process by cleaning the old soles of your shoes. Once all the grit and grime is removed, cut-off the old soles of your shoes using a sharp utility knife. After removing the old soles, use a file to scuff the area where you need the new soles to adhere. Apply glue (be sure to read the glue’s specific instructions)
