How To Repair Shoes

Which glue should you use to refix the rubber sole on a pair of sneakers?

The best product for this is Selleys Shoe Fix. If you are re-bonding a wide surface area such as a full shoe sole, you can also use Selleys Kwik Grip Horizontal or Selleys Kwik Grip Gel.

The split is about area. Shoe Fix is a specialist solvent adhesive in a 50 mL clear tube, made for exactly this repair and easy to apply precisely along a lifted sole edge. Kwik Grip is a contact adhesive supplied in tubes and cans, and it comes into its own when you are coating a whole sole rather than running a bead into a gap.

Selleys Shoe Fix — the figures that govern the repair

Property	Typical result
Technology	Solvent based
Colour	Clear
Pack size	50 mL tube
Initial bond	24 hours
Ready for practical use	After 1 day
Maximum bond strength	After 3 days

Indicative data only, not intended for the preparation of specifications.

The gap between "ready to wear" and "fully strong" is the number people ignore. The shoe is usable after a day, but the bond does not reach maximum strength until three days. A repaired sole that gets a long walk or a game of sport on day two is being asked to work at part strength, in peel, which is the weakest way to load any adhesive. If you can leave the shoes for three days, do.

Working time is short — Selleys' shoe repair guidance gives about a minute — so have the shoe cleaned, dry-fitted and your clamps ready before you open the tube.

How to reglue a sole

1. Open the gap and clean out everything inside it: grit, old adhesive, dust. This is most of the job. An adhesive bonded to old crumbling glue fails at the old glue.
2. Let the shoe dry completely. Trapped moisture in a foam midsole will stop a solvent adhesive setting properly.
3. Roughen the mating faces lightly where the material allows it. Smooth moulded rubber gives an adhesive very little to grip.
4. Dry-fit and work out how you will clamp before you apply anything — you have around a minute of working time.
5. For very porous surfaces, seal them first: coat the surface with a thin layer of adhesive, let it dry, then apply a second coat to form the bond as directed.
6. Apply the adhesive, close the joint and press it home.
7. Clamp it, or press it with a heavy object while it dries. Bulldog clips are ideal for a sole edge, and give even pressure without marking the upper.
8. Leave it a day before wearing the shoes, and three days before hard use.

Using Kwik Grip on a full sole

For a whole-sole re-bond, a contact adhesive is the better tool: you coat both faces, let the solvent flash off, then bring them together and the bond forms across the entire area at once, with no waiting under clamps.

Property	Kwik Grip Horizontal	Kwik Grip Vertical Gel
Open time	20–40 minutes	20–40 minutes
Full cure	—	24 hours
Heat resistance	130 °C	130 °C
Application temperature	—	10 °C – 35 °C
Coverage	—	0.25 m² per 40 g of one surface

Both list rubber, leather, canvas, felt and cork among their materials — the whole vocabulary of a shoe. Kwik Grip Horizontal adds timber, laminated plastics, hardboard and compressed board, but carries an extra caution: it is not suitable for rough or ill-fitting surfaces. A worn, uneven sole that no longer sits flat against the upper is a job for the gel or for Shoe Fix, not the horizontal grade.

With Kwik Grip, apply to both surfaces, spread evenly so they are completely covered, keep them apart until the adhesive is almost dry — approximately 20 minutes, no more than 40 — then press them together. It grabs immediately on contact, so alignment has to be right before the faces touch. Maximum bond strength is reached after 24 hours.

Limitations

• Not for polyethylene or polypropylene. Neither Shoe Fix nor Kwik Grip will bond those plastics — Selleys All Plastics is the product for them.
• Test on plastics and vinyls first. A solvent adhesive may cause some vinyl and plastics to discolour or harden; test in a small hidden area if in doubt.
• Kwik Grip: do not use below 10 °C. The application range is 10 °C to 35 °C.
• Ventilation. Both are solvent based. Use them in a well-ventilated area, and let contents dry completely before disposal.

Common questions about repairing shoes

How long before I can wear them?

Shoe Fix reaches initial bond in 24 hours and the shoes are ready for practical use after 1 day. Maximum bond strength comes after 3 days.

Do I have to clamp the repair?

Clamping or pressing with a heavy object during drying gives stronger adhesion. Bulldog clips work well on a sole edge.

My midsole is foam and soaks up the glue — what do I do?

Seal it first: coat the surface with a thin layer of adhesive, let it dry, then apply a second coat to form the bond.

Will it survive rain?

Selleys' shoe repair adhesives are described as weather and impact resistant with a strong, flexible clear bond. That is not the same as immersion-proof, so let the repair reach full strength before it gets soaked.

Which glue for a wide sole area?

Kwik Grip Horizontal or Kwik Grip Gel. Note that Horizontal is not suitable for rough or ill-fitting surfaces.

Will the glue line show?

Shoe Fix is clear, so a tidy application should not be obvious. Wipe squeeze-out before it sets — acetone cleans up uncured adhesive.

What if it is a heel or a strap rather than the sole?

The same products cover soles, tongues, straps, inner soles and attaching decorative items, across school shoes, dress shoes, high heels, wedges, sporting shoes and outdoor shoes.

Where can I read more?

See shoe glue, how to repair shoes and gluing shoe soles.