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I am looking for ideas to glue a material to the back sole to extend its life. I already have the glue.

Damaged shoe sole

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  • Reinforce or replace? Isn't that where the heel normally goes? Is this a pair of slippers? The photograph is indefinite and as it is, the question is so broad that unless more detail is provided will draw low quality answers. Please describe how the original material became damaged. Are you reinforcing a new pair or trying to repair a damaged pair? Please edit your question to provide the added info rather than comment.
    – Stan
    Apr 15, 2019 at 4:28
  • It is a pair of sandals. It became damaged due to the way I walk.
    – fixit7
    Apr 15, 2019 at 14:55
  • Does all of your footwear show the same kind of wear or is this damage typical of loose-fitting shoes that tend to drag on the floors?
    – Stan
    Apr 15, 2019 at 15:07
  • All my shoes show the same wear on the outside. I have noticed some dragging. There is considerably more wear on the sandals because the soles are a fairly soft rubber. @Stan
    – fixit7
    Apr 15, 2019 at 17:52
  • An epoxy putty. I have tried a glue gun but it needed to super glued on as the patch feel off.
    – Hellonearthis
    Apr 16, 2019 at 10:26

4 Answers 4

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  • Visit a thrift store and buy a cheap used shoe. Cut what you need from another shoe with a sharp kitchen knife and the shoe held in a vice. Rubber would be better. Leather will not last very long.

  • You can buy heels and soles online (Topy) For example, link to eBay search for Topy heels.

  • Other options might be the tough rubber they use for car mats, or the rubber they add to the rear of the car. You could visit a wrecker and pick one up for very little.

  • We have specialty rubber stores here: you can buy tough rubber in a strip, in various widths, off the roll. Link to the page showing rubber sheeting on the Rubber Clarke website.

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This is a pic after my repair using this. I used Petronio's Master All Purpose Contact Cement which is used by shoe repair places.

"https://www.ebay.com/itm/11-4x4-5x0-1-Anti-slip-Rubber-Glue-on-Full-Soles-Shoes-Repair-Pad-Cushion/163597937302?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649"

enter image description here

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    That looks great. What if you did that when the sandals were new? Choosing a dense material to absorb the wear-and-tear before the softer sole gets worn away, might be a way to pre-treat your fave footwear for lasting wear.
    – Stan
    Apr 25, 2019 at 23:29
  • @Stan That's a great idea. Most of my other shoes do not have as soft a sole, but then they are also not as comfortable. The sole absorbs a lot of shock when walking.
    – fixit7
    Apr 25, 2019 at 23:38
  • Be sure to pick material that doesn't leave marks on your floor.
    – Stan
    Apr 26, 2019 at 0:06
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An epoxy putty. I have tried a glue gun but it needed to super glued on as the patch fell off.

One advantage of the glue gun was it wears down to match your gate/walk and that's good as it goes through a comfortable period and then adding more hot glue is easy as it bonds very well to warn layer of old glue.

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  • Had to repost because previous was deleted. I guess should direct answers are not liked by some mods...
    – Hellonearthis
    Apr 16, 2019 at 10:25
  • Hi Hellonearthis. Welcome to Lifehacks.StackExchange. There is a good chance that your first answer did not conform to Lifehacks desire for detailed answers that conform to the lifehacks.stackexchange.com/help guidelines. Have a peek at them.
    – Stan
    Apr 16, 2019 at 13:57
  • Thanks Stan, I did and the only thing I could imagine was the link to a commercial site, which i didn't see in the help. Still posted again as I have repaired soft sole shoes for years and had to give my 2c repair tips.
    – Hellonearthis
    Apr 16, 2019 at 14:16
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In my experience mending soles yourself can only be a temporary solution. After a few days or weeks it drops off again.

Take your shoes to a cobbler and have them resoled professionally. It's cheap and effective.

Meanwhile, think about how you walk and try to put your feet on the ground more evenly. Maybe you can film your feet while you walk and see room for improvement? Try not to drag your shoes on the ground.

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  • In my experience, cobblers are far from cheap. My repair will use both glue and nails. I feel that the repair will last much longer than a few days.
    – fixit7
    Apr 16, 2019 at 13:12
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    I used to sell shoes. It's difficult to compensate for an archilles heel/tendon difficulty. You can't easily compensate for a part of your body with an irregularity. The tendon allows your heel to be lifted. If it is extended or elongated (even slightly) there is visible extra wear on footwear which is, in effect, sacrificial material to save your feet from the wear and abuse we take using architectural building materials selected more for duration than for ease of use. Did that make sense?
    – Stan
    Apr 16, 2019 at 14:23
  • @Stan Yes I understand. I asked other people and they have uneven wear as well.
    – fixit7
    Apr 25, 2019 at 19:59

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