Shoes are footwear used to protect and comfort feet, so they are vital in a person’s daily life. If something is vital in your life, then it should make you feel stylish, right? For this reason, some people consider doing a DIY shoes paint job – painting sneakers or painting tennis shoes – to create a new look. We have created a guide on how to paint shoes from people that work with this on a daily basis.
However, knowing how to paint canvas shoes or understanding how to paint sneakers is a challenging task, especially if it’s your first time trying a paint for shoes. Hence, whether it’s acrylic shoe painting or other methods for how to paint shoes, using the best paint for shoes is vital for optimal results. Read about all the different ways on how to paint your shoes depending on the material to get a new style!
What Kind of Paint to Use on Shoes
Before you try to paint your shoes, you must first know the type of paint for shoes that can be used. Generally, there are three kinds of best paint for shoes: leather paint, spray paint, and fabric paint. Paint pens can also be used to create intricate designs on your shoes. The kind of paint you use on your shoes will depend on the materials used in crafting your shoes.
What Kind of Paint to Use on Leather or Vinyl Shoes
There are two kinds of paint to use on leather or vinyl shoes. You may either use leather paint or spray paint, depending on your taste and preference.
Leather Paints
Leather paint can be used for either leather or vinyl shoes. You must correctly prepare the surface of the leather before painting them. For this method, try getting rid of the coatings on the shoes using isopropyl alcohol, a deglazer, or sandpaper. Acrylic shoe painting or leather painting can be used as a covering or coating to the entire surface.
If you are wondering how to paint sneakers, using acrylic paint or leather paint will do. Painting sneakers with this kind of paint will create a smooth and lasting finish.
Spray Paints
Spray paint typically dries better when used on leather and vinyl shoes as these tend to have a glossy finish. However, regardless of how easy spray painting is, it is not recommended if you want to create a highly detailed design. Hence, this kind of paint works best if you’re painting your shoes a single color.
Furthermore, spray paints are specifically designed for leather shoes, and spray painting is an easy and cost-effective means of changing the color of both leather and synthetic shoes. You can also use spray paint when painting tennis shoes. You can use masking tape to mask off areas you don’t want to paint as you spray them.
Paints to use on Canvas Shoes
To know how to paint canvas shoes, you must first be familiar with the kind of paint to use on this type of shoe. Since canvas shoes are also known as cloth shoes, the best paint to use is fabric paint.
Fabric Paints
As the name suggests, fabric paint is a kind of acrylic paint designed specifically for painting fabric. This kind of paint works best when used on cloth shoes, such as canvas shoes, as it meshes well with the material.
Fabric paint is applied using a brush, and it’s quite durable. Also, it comes in a wide range of colors and even has a glitter option. Most importantly, fabric paint usually doesn’t crack. It dries just enough, so it’s an ideal paint for shoes.
Materials to use for Detailed Designs in DIY Shoes Paint Jobs
If you are fond of a more complex DIY shoe paint job, you may try using paint pens or paint markers to create detailed designs. These art materials are perfect to use, especially if you are up for detailed work or if you want to add a few patterns to your painted shoes.
Things to consider when Planning a DIY Shoes Paint Job
Now you’re familiar with the kinds of paint to use on different types of shoes, you might be interested to learn more about how to paint shoes. There are is a high chance you will encounter problems when you paint your shoes; however, stay still and don’t worry. This post has you covered. You will learn the steps for how to paint shoes, the importance of painting shoes. The consequences of not painting shoes, and the benefits of fixing mistakes in shoe painting.
A Guide on How to Paint Shoes
Before painting your shoes, first prepare all the necessary materials, such as the kind of paint to be used. To reiterate, the type of paint will depend on the shoes you have. For leather or vinyl shoes, you may use either leather paint or spray paint. Meanwhile, for canvas or cloth shoes, use fabric paint.
In this guide, we provide you with four easy steps for how to paint shoes. So, without further delay, let’s jump to the first step!
Step 1: Prepare your Shoes
The first step is to take the shoes and wash off any dirt or muck. After doing so, mask the areas you don’t want to get painted by using masking tape or any material that can tape off those non-paintable spots. Next, remove the laces or any other removable parts of the shoe.
Step 2: Plan and Sketch your Designs
Before painting your shoes, it is important to sketch your designs first. You can try to draw the pattern on your shoes using a pencil so that you can erase it if you make a mistake. Afterward, you can try experimenting with a few paint colors – do this on paper first before directly painting on your shoes.
Step 3: Start Filling in your Design
For this step, you should plan out your layers. You may now use pen paint or marking pen to outline your designs and add details. Try painting your shoes one shade at a time, perhaps on its base layer first, and then add a few layers once the paint dries up. You may also opt to paint on the borders and apply some shading and highlights for a more emphasized look.
Step 4: Seal and Apply Finisher
When the paint is completely dried up, you can seal and apply a finisher on your shoes. Apply the finisher evenly on all areas of the shoes to get rid of lumps or bubbles on surfaces. You should wait until the finisher dries and then do this step at least three times for optimal results.
Importance of Painting Shoes
Knowing how to paint canvas shoes or understanding how to paint sneakers is important, especially if you want to customize your footwear. Sometimes you like the style of your shoes but not the color. So, for this reason, painting sneakers or painting tennis shoes can come in handy as you get to change the color of your shoes based on your liking. Acrylic shoe painting is also important as it enables you to have a personal and stylish touch on your shoes.
However, being familiar with the best paint for shoes or being fond of DIY shoes paint jobs alone does not guarantee that you will properly paint your shoes. Properly painting shoes is still necessary because not doing so can cause more damage, such as scuffs or scratches, in the long run. Instead of making your shoes more appealing to the eyes, a bad paint job will make them look worse.
Consequences of not Properly Painting Shoes
If you paint your shoes without knowing the proper method, you might encounter several consequences. Here are the disadvantages of not following the steps on how to paint shoes accordingly:
- If you don’t do the necessary preparations before painting your shoes such as washing off any dirt, you won’t be able to remove it afterward. Moreover, not taping off the areas you don’t want to paint means you won’t have a neat and tidy pair of shoes when you’re finished.
- When you directly paint on your shoes and, unfortunately, make a mistake, you can no longer undo what you did. It will then be hard to think of a new design.
- Not planning out the layers of paint on your shoes might give them a harsher look, especially if you haven’t let them dry first before reapplying paint in successive layers.
- Unevenly applying the finisher will leave the surfaces of your shoes with lumps or bubbles.
Benefits of Fixing Mistakes in Shoe Painting
There are several products to choose from to cover up mistakes remove paint. Regardless of what product you use, fixing these mistakes in shoe painting offers numerous benefits.
Shoe painting is one of the most affordable means of making your shoes look more stylish. If you know how to fix mistakes, others will think you hired a professional. Most importantly, covering up mistakes in painting your shoes may allow your shoes to stand out amongst others.
If you are into DIY shoe paint jobs, you might already know how to paint canvas shoes as opposed to how to paint sneakers. Acrylic shoe painting may be the best paint for shoes for you. While others may not even know the kinds of paint for shoes. Painting sneakers or painting tennis shoes could even become a new hobby!
However, if you are new to the world of shoe painting, this guide on how to paint shoes is the perfect post to help you get started with making your shoes more stylish and fashionable.
