Are your leather shoes too tight? Are they pinching you? This is the best way to stretch leather shoes at home. This tutorial will help you stretch them with ice so you can wear those expensive shoes and be comfortable.
And once they’re comfortable, they don’t need to look comfortable! There is a way to paint leather!
If your leather shoes are too tight in the toe box, you can stretch them at home. Fill a self-sealing bag with about a cup of water or halfway up the bag. Tightly seal the bag and place it into another self-sealing bag -this step helps to prevent leaks and other water issues.
Place the bags into the toe area of the leather shoes. Do the other shoe. Keep in the freezer for at least 24 hours.
As water freezes, it expands. This action helps to create more room in the toe box part of the shoe - expanding it about 1 to 1½ times bigger!
After 24 hours, take the shoes out of the freezer. Then, remove and discard the ice bags. Let the shoes come to room temperature. You can wear them immediately or paint them.
If your shoes have been looking tired, scuffed, or faded, it is totally possible and easy to paint leather shoes. Here’s how to do it!
Before painting, remove any laces. Use a cloth with rubbing alcohol to remove any oils or dirt from the leather.
Place masking or painter’s tape on any parts that you don’t want to paint. I’m pretty careful, so I just wrap it around the heel and edges of the sole. If you don’t feel super confident with your painting prowess, you can tape the entire shoe bottom.
Start by painting at the back of the shoe. This way, if the color isn’t correct, you can take it off quickly. Paint dries darker than the color in the can or bottle - about 1 to 2 shades darker - so keep that in mind!
Some paints have less flexibility than others, so acrylic paint may crack with wear. If you’re concerned about that, use fabric or leather paint.
I painted two pairs of shoes. For one, I changed the color, and for the other, I freehand drew a lacy pattern using a lighter color to offset the brown.
What do you think? Do you like the blue paint on the shoes?
I am a bit on the fence about the floral pattern on the shoe. I think I would do it a bit differently next time because the flowers smudged a bit.
Please let me know in the comments what you think about the painting. Don’t forget to let me know how the “at home stretch with ice” worked for you!
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I love the creativity. It's inspired me to try a paisley print on a pair of old shoes.
Can you make leather shoes tighter I loaned mine out and now they are too big