How to restore your sneakers ?
You want to restore your sneakers and bring it back to life ? Then follow our advice to clean or repair your shoes easily using the most appropriate products and paints.
Products to clean and whiten your shoes
The first thing you can do to make your sneakers look better is to clean them. It's not the funniest thing to do but it's important to do it before you start restoring your shoes.
Indeed, you need to clean the dirt or dusts from the surface using a cleaning kit and the following tools :
- a good sneakers cleaner product
- cleaning brushes : a hard brush for tough materials like the rubber sole, and a soft brush for leather or other surfaces like mesh, canvas...
- a sponge brush is recommended in case you want to restore suede or nubuck
- a cloth to dry your sneakers once cleaned
How to clean your sneakers ?
When you paint on leather, it’s highly recommended to prepare the leather, to have the best resistance possible. The prep is the most important step to have good results.
Take your sneakers cleaning kit with the tools described above, depending on the kind of surface you have to clean.
Start with the appropriate brush, the cleaning product and some water to wash your sneakers by rubbing insistently, whether on the sides, the top or even the soles.
How to prepare your sneakers before painting it ?
You need to restore the original color of your sneakers and revitalize the leather ? Then you have to prepare the shoes in case you want to apply leather paint or dye. This step will ensure the color stay over time and don't peel while you walk.
To prepare your shoes or leather, you need to remove the factory varnish with a leather preparer or acetone.
For sensitive area, it's recommended to use a sandpaper to smooth the surface, then remove the dusts and degrease your sneakers. Apply the leather preparer with a cotton pad or wool dauber and make sure the surface is dry before painting it.
If you don't let dry the dissolvent, the paint may not adhere to the surface.
How to repair your sneakers ?
You need to restore the original color of your sneakers and revitalize the leather ? Then you have to prepare the shoes in case you want to apply leather paint or dye. This step will ensure the color stay over time and don't peel while you walk.
- If you have scratches or small holes on your sneakers you can remove them by following these few steps :
- Smooth the surface using a 400 grit sandpaper.
- Clean up the dusts from sanding with the leather preparer or acetone.
- Wipe your shoes with a cloth to apply the paint on a clean and dry leather.
- Apply the paint with thin coats and make sure the paint is dry before applying another coat.
Repeat the process as many times as necessary to fill the hole and obtain a homogeneous result with the paint.