How many times have you had your shoemaker polish your shoes, only to find the rough blims and tears on the scuffed toes pop up after the first wearing, making your shoes look as old as they really are? Having never found a shoemaker who solved the problem, we decided to experiment on a few pairs beat-up but very well-made and beloved shoes and boots we bought years ago. We found a great method.

Sally Schneider
Sally Schneider

We tried sanding down the blims and tears using the Super Fine Contour Surface Sanding Sponges we find SO useful around the Laboratory, for dulling shiny metal, sanding off paint, shining silver…even taking an applique off a piece of china.

amazon.com
amazon.com

Sanding sponges are flexible sponges that have a very fine sanding surface. When a painter left some behind in our space, we used them to repair a variety of surfaces. This time: leather. You can find them at Amazon or often at your local hardware or paint store.

Sally Schneider
Sally Schneider

We gently sanded the blims on the toes of our boots and shoes. Then we applied polish with an old toothbrush (we save them for just this kind of purpose). When a blim remained, we tried sanding it with a little polish on the sponge, a hybrid technique that worked well.

Sally Schneider
Sally Schneider

Using a soft old toothbrush allowed us to rub polish deep into tiny cracks and damaged areas…

Sally Schneider
Sally Schneider

…We let the polish “set” for 30 minutes or so, then polished, first with a big soft shoeshine brush, and then with a classic shammy. Although not perfect, the results were WAY better than we ever got from the shoemaker. You can see the results at top and below.

Sally Schneider
Sally Schneider

Now we’ve got three pairs of good-as-new, comfortable-to-wear shoes and boots to take us through the coming months.

Editor’s note: At the time we bought these boots, we thought they were expensive, but looked well made enough to warrant the outlay. They’ve proven a bargain: We’ve been wearing them for more than eight years! A lesson in considered buying…

 

If you’ve found illumination, joy, or inspiration in this post, please consider supporting Improvised Life. It only takes a minute to make a secure donation that helps pay our many costs. A little goes a long way towards helping Improvised Life continue to live ad-free in the world.

Support Improvised Life ♥

One thought on “Better-Than-Your-Shoemaker Shoe + Boot Refurb

  1. Really great idea, Sally. Thanks.

    I once bought a pair of leather rainboots at Lands’ End (long before Sears bought them). Those boots lasted me 25 years! I had paid $75 for them on sale; I think they were originally $150. Even at the latter price, they would have been a bargain; at half that they were an absolute steal. Most comfortable shoes I have ever owned!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *