Some say, “The only things certain in life are death and taxes”. While this may be true for ordinary people, there is another certainty in life for skateboarders, “Your shoes will be destroyed”. Depending on how heavily you skate and how durable your sneakers are, a pair of shoes could last a few days to a month before they are torn up and covered in holes. At this point, you have two options, trash the shoes and get a new pair, or just let your foot drag across the grip tape and wear holes into all of your socks, right? Wrong!

There is another option. There is something out there that can dramatically extend your skate shoes’ life or any other shoes that are wearing out or losing their soles. This magic product is called Shoe Goo, and it’s actually not magic at all. It’s just a durable glue. But, the simplest products are often the most effective.

How it works

You can go two routes when using Shoe Goo: 1. Wait until your shoes wear and then apply to worn areas. 2. Be proactive and use shoe goo to reinforce areas of your shoe where you usually see the most wear, like the toe. Both approaches work, and it is really all up to your preference. Some people do not want to Goo up their brand new shoes, so they wait. Some people don’t want to end up wearing a hole in their shoes, so they reinforce new shoes.

How to Apply Shoe Goo

Now I recently learned a trick on how to apply shoe goo to your shoes, and it is a game-changer. My whole life, I would Just plop on a glob of Goo and use my finger to spread it around. This resulted in Goo being wasted and stuck on my finger that i would then have to peel or scrub off. So the new way that I now apply Shoe Goo is by using an ice cube as a spreader. The ice does not stick to the glue at all, and it gives a smooth, no mess spread.

So to apply, just add small dabs at a time and spread them out with your ice cube until you have the desired area covered and smoothed out to your liking. Be sure to let the glue cure for 24 hours after applying before you wear the shoes again.

Fixing a Hole

Fixing a hole in your shoe is a slightly different process. Follow these steps to fix a hole in your shoe using shoe goo:
1.Using a masking tape (or a piece of paper with tape on it if you have a larger hole) cover the hole from the inside of the shoe.

2.Once the hole is sealed, you can apply a layer of shoe goo to the outside of the hole using your piece of ice.

3. It helps to have your hand in the shoe to hold the tape in place so it does not move as you spread the Goo on the outside of the shoe.

4.Let dry 24 hours and remove the tape from the inside of the shoe, and Voila! No more hole.

Also, here is an article about How To Store Your Shoes For A Longer Shelf Life