How to Reattach Shoe Sole

Written By: Spencer Miskoviak

Comments: 8

Difficulty

Easy

Steps

Time Required

15 minutes

Introduction

When the sole detaches from a shoe, it drastically shortens the lifespan and renders the pair of shoes immediately unwearable. Securely re-attaching the soles will help you get the full value out of a pair of shoes.

Tools

Step 1

Pull the separated sole away from the bottom of the shoe.
Clean the bottom surface of the shoe with a cleaning wipe.

Step 2

Clean the top of the sole.
The shoe needs to be clean of all dirt and completely dry before continuing to the next step.

Step 3

Apply a thin bead of glue along the top edge of the sole and across the interior surface of the sole.
Immediately continue to the next step after applying glue.

Step 4

Push the sole back to its original position on the bottom of the shoe.
Hold the shoe and sole together for 30 seconds.

¿La suela tiene que ser de goma o también es efectivo con otro tipo de suela como las de cuero, eva, caucho o termoplásticas?

En esos casos ¿habría que usar un pegamento diferente o simplemente no podrían repararse?

Penny -

Author

Spencer Miskoviak

Member since: 30/03/16

812 Reputation

7 comments

Thank you! I have a pair of shoes of a brand i have never seen, Just love the uniqueness of them and want to make them wearable.

Francisco M. Yruegas III - 29/07/18

I have not yet attempted to repair the sole separation on the completely separated soles of the lady's boots I was hoping to. I was looking for guidance here. Yet even the instructions on the glue package tell me it needs 8-12 hours of pressured curing to correctly complete this repair. So if you meant to leave the last step of this tutorial to be “Hold the shoe and sole together for 30 seconds" which is the last step available gor viewing, then at least explain the contradiction.

Stephen Carman - 08/08/19

I imagine its hold for 30 seconds, the leave for 8 to 12 hours.

Stuart Cox - 22/03/20

Any gluing procedure almost always is more successful when clamped, weighted for at least 12 hours!

what’s the hurry? you can’t use it anyways! This includes leather, plastic, wood, fabric or whatever!

jim.

james daly - 10/08/20

I would estimate a job like this a little longer. No need to rush this part, it's the most important asset to footwear. Its responsible for the function/use, comfortabilty, form, strength and durability. So this must be done efficiently and effectively.

I advise pulling apart the soles until you meet where they are joined. Starting from this point is best. Just observe the faces of the two soles and clean away any dirt and debris. Be sure to allow the footwear to dry before continuing with adhesive. Use a strong and durable adhesive to bond the two soles together. Be careful as some adhesives tend to swell after curing and this can cause discomfort and render footwear useless. Completely cover the face of both soles. Dont worry about excess just wipe away as you squeeze them together and hold. Be sure to clamp footwear soles for the duration of the curing process to prevent and leaks cracks. Then finish off with water/stain repellent to repel moisture and increase the life of the glue repair.

ChanDuhMan - 06/01/21

For Work boot repairs, almost any adhesive will fail pretty quickly once you have trouble the first time. There is a permanent fix that will outlast the remaining life of the work boot.

Pull apart the soles until you reach where they bond on the boot. I personally dont like to fix what isnt broken so I would stop there, especially if there is no leak or issues where the sole is left bonded. Clean both surfaces. You can let them air dry or use a heat gun. Be careful though, if you use too close you will heat and loosen other materials or likely damage them. Then apply light even adhesive to both surfaces and apply a clamp to the soles for the duration of the curing process. 12-24hrs. Remove clamps and and place your screws evenly around the sole to help distribute the weight and keep a tight seal. Best to go from bottom of sole up toward the boot so you can hide the heads of the screws on the bottom. Be careful to not go so far in toward where your foot will be to cause pain. Grind off the rest of the screw.

ChanDuhMan - 06/01/21

Dear ifixit,

This post worked great.

This post has really helped my visitors. Your "less writing and more picture" structure has helped my visitors to understand. Anyone who wants to fix torn shoes should really read this article. Thank you ..

In fact, I have a shoe related website ( ***Shoeslo.in*** ) where I try to provide valuable information about different types of footwear and their accessories. Hope you like it.

Shoes lo -