How to Customize Your Tennis Shoes
If you like to express yourself through the way you dress---displaying interests and personal preferences through wearable art---then you're likely to find the concept of customized tennis shoes appealing. During tournaments, tennis champion Rafael Nadal wears kicks with the inspirational "Vamos Rafa." You may want to add phrases to your athletic shoes to motivate your team or pictures to remember personal heroes and loved ones. You can manifest your dream kicks and inspire others with sneaker customization. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Leather tennis shoes
- Leather finish remover
- Cotton balls
- Acetone
- Protective gloves
- Cotton swabs
- Rubber cleaner
- Design
- Pencil
- Acrylic leather paints
- Eyedroppers
- Wide-mouth glass jars
- Paintbrushes or airbrush
- Leather scraps
- Paint stirrers
- Sponges
- Acrylic finisher
Instructions
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Prepare the shoe surface. For the leather surfaces you will be painting, clean and strip with a leather preparer-deglazer. Follow directions on the container. For an alternative, rub the leather surfaces with 100 percent acetone with cotton balls. Don protective gloves. Change balls frequently. You may need 50 for each shoe. Use cotton swabs rather than balls for corners. To ensure a good bond with the new paint, remove all existing paint, polish and factory finish. For the rubber sides, toes or soles you will be painting, use a cleaning product for rubber.
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2
Create a custom design. Prepare design by hand or use computer and print out a copy.
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Copy your design lightly on each shoe with fine pencil.
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Select paint colors. Use acrylic leather paints. Mix custom colors as needed, using eyedroppers and glass jars.
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Test custom paint blends, equipment (paintbrushes) and techniques (airbrushing) new to you on leather scraps and old leather tennis shoes.
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Stir paint thoroughly before each use. Paint lightly with paintbrushes or airbrush. Allow paint to dry completely between coats. Multiple thin coats are better than one thick coat. Allow final coat of paint to cure overnight.
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Use a sponge to apply acrylic finisher, available in matte, satin, gloss and high gloss. Apply a second coat.
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Tips & Warnings
If you'll be using a transparent paint or gold for lettering on a dark area of your shoes, start with a white paint lettering undercoat. Then paint the lettering again using the desired final color.
If using an airbrush, ensure that paint flows freely. It may be necessary to thin the paint slightly with acrylic finisher.
Lightly sand very smooth leather surfaces you will be painting, such as patent leather. Use very fine sandpaper, just scuffing the surface. This increases the area for paint bonding, reducing the possibility of cracking and peeling.
You can engrave your sneakers by using a woodburning tool with a sharp tip.
Many tennis shoe manufacturers---including Nike, Adidas and Converse---have enabled customers to create and order customized tennis shoes online. Customers can also personalize selected Keds sneakers at Zazzle.com.
For a fast, easy, inexpensive and temporary way to customize your sneaks, try rub-on transfers, such as those from Footiez.com, most of which have a soccer theme.
If you know what you want for customized kicks, but don't have the artistic abilities and skills needed, or the time, look for an experienced artist who can customize your shoes. Get a recommendation from someone who has customized shoes you admire, or ask a tattoo artist.
Do not try to shorten the paint drying process with a hair dryer. This can damage the paint, reducing its lifespan.
When using acetone to remove polish, paint and factory finish from leather tennis shoes, work in a well-ventilated area.
Acetone can burn your skin. When using acetone, wear protective gloves.
Cheap paints are likely to crack and peel. Use high-quality acrylic leather paints.
It's hard to remove completely the white factory finish on new white-on-white tennis shoes because it's hard to see. Paint will not bond properly with the shoe, however, if any factory finish remains. If you experience problems of paint beading rather than bonding, start again by stripping the paint, and cleaning and prepping the surface.
