Repairing Shoes at Home

My favorite sandals before repairing.

Its a nice summer afternoon and you pull out you favorite sandals. You notice that they just don't feel quite right. You take them off and realize that the sole has decided to separate.

Now I know many people who would toss the offending shoe. I, however, am not made of money. I would also like to dispel the myth that our children have created about the money tree. It doesn't exist.

Now the trick I am about to show you can also be used on other shoes. In fact, I frequently use it on my sons' shoes. You know how the shoe is less than a month old and the sole is no longer attached and the kid insists that be needs new shoes? Yeah, I just fix them. I make my kids out grow their shoes.

I know. I'm a mean mom. Guess what. M.O.M. is Mean Old Mom.

Applying the gooey contact cement to between the
surfaces using a popsicle stick.

Anyway. Here is the magic trick for fixing shoes. Contact cement. Don't get it confused with rubber cement. Contact cement dries flexible, but permanent. Rubber cement does not. In fact, while it is flexible, it allows the two surfaces to be repositioned. Not a good idea when you want your shoes to stay fixed.

I start by brushing off anything loose, like dirt. I will also use an alcohol prep pad to clean the surfaces.

Using binder clips to hold the two surfaces together
while the contact cement dries.

Then, I apply the gooey mess to both surfaces. It can be messy so make sure to put on the work surface.

After waiting a few minutes, squish the two sides together. Once the sides are together find a way to hold them together. As you can see, I used some binder clips, a hair clip and even the clip for a dog leash.

Mr. Toad would use a proper  clamp. But then, he uses screw drivers when a butter knife would do just as well.  I have also used the foot of the couch to hold everything together. For the boy's shoes I've even used masking or painters tape. No duct tape. It leaves a sticky residue.

I used just about anything I could find to hold these together.
Binder clips, hair clips, alligator clip from some electronic
gadget, and even the clop from a dog leash

I usually leave the sides clamped (or taped or under the  or under the couch) over night.

I have had very good luck with this. It is water proof and flexible. I have never had to redo anything that I have fixed this way.

I know there are other uses for contact cement, but the only other thing that I have used it for was to reattach the laminate on our cabinets. Don't ask. We have four kids.