Leather Paint for Shoes
Give your leather shoes a new personality—let your own personality shine! You can spray paint them or paint them with a brush (detailed instructions for this below). You can also use markers to add details or get color into tight spots.
To paint your leather shoes, you need the following materials:
- Cleaner/deglazer—like Angelus Leather Preparer and Deglazer ($4 for 5 oz—plenty for a pair of shoes)
- Leather paints in color or colors of your choice
- Paint finisher to seal and protect (Angelus sells this for around $4 for 4 oz in various finishes)
- If the shoes will be out in the rain or snow, use a water proofer, like Scotchguard.
- Flat or foam brush for applying paint and finisher
- Rag or cotton balls or pads for applying cleaner/deglazer
- Newspapers or a drop cloth to protect the surface you’re painting on (Optional)
- Painter’s masking tape if you want to keep paint off a certain part of the shoe—like the sole (optional)
- Shoe cream or polish and brush or rag to apply and buff with (Optional, but recommended)
And here are the steps to follow:
- If the shoes have laces or anything else that’s not permanently attached, remove them! (You can paint laces, too, if you want, but not while they’re in the shoes.)
- Rub the shoes (or the part of the shoes you’re planning to paint) with the cleaner/deglazer
- Let it dry for a few minutes
- Mix your paints or use them straight from the jar. If mixing, be sure to mix enough to cover both shoes with several layers of paint, probably 3-6 layers. You want to apply thin even layers, so if the paint seems too thick, add a little bit of water, mix and check the consistency. Be really careful here. Like adding salt to your soup, you can always add a little more, but you can’t take it out once it’s in!
- Apply a layer of paint with your flat or sponge brush.
6. · Let dry for 15-30 minutes, until the paint doesn’t feel tacky when you touch it
7. · Repeat steps 4 and 5 until your shoes are completely covered and you can no longer see the color underneath.
8. · Let dry for 24 hours (or more)
9. · Apply the finisher
10. · Allow to dry for 24 hours (or more)
11. · It’s also a good idea to apply a shoe cream or polish to rehydrate the leather—you can apply several coats to help protect your leather and make it look even more beautiful
12. · Apply water proofing, if desired