:::OFFICIAL SNEAKER CARE/MAINTENANCE POST::: (It's back!)

Anyone have any experience with having their suede sneakers redyed by a restorer? I could use some recommendations for the Toro Bravo Vs I just dug up.
Pretty easy. this is photo is from a few years ago when i first got into restorations. 
  • Tape but dye them like there's no tape there, just like if you were painting midsoles.
  • If you havent already bought dye i recommend fiebings. Angelus sucks at suede dye.
  • You can use a dabber but you'll need a paint brush for the small areas. it doesnt hurt to use brush on the whole shoe though, that's what i do for my clients
  • it will NOT come out of the tongue easily so be careful.
  • make sure you have a good suede water repelant for finisher, on that pair in the photo i used force feild, got them free at my job, but i recommend them because they add a high glose component to their mixture which makes leathers shine and suede color really pop
  • take your time and let them dry 100% because ive seen people rub their shoe up against something and stain it.
  • Your using red so be aware of your surrounding. that stuff gets everywhere and its almost imposssible to get it out. ive had to replace a pair of shoes for getting the smallest red stain on patent leather of 11s (eff the cherry red bottom 11s). 
feel free to ask anymore questions
 
This is a massive thread if anyone can help or point me in the right direction: Any suggestions on how to clean/what products to use on quality leather such as Common Project Achilles? Also what product would you recommend on cleaning outsoles? Lastly what's the best stain and water protector for suede and leather shoes? I recently moved and don't have any of my old cleaning supplies and i dont remember what i used lmao
i swear by Lincoln E-Z cleaner, dish soap watter, and MR clean eraser. i add stuff based on the shoe but thats my usual cleaning setup. as far as water repellant i dont really have one that i use more than any other but if you like to add a lil shine then force field makes a nice water repellant 
 
Any advice would be great.


My mother's house burned down yesterday. Thank god she got our landlord and a toddler out in time. I was able to get in what's left of the house this morning and grab only 2 boxes. Prada sneakers and my Reebok answers.

My question is how do I go about dealing with the heavy smoke smell?
 dam sorry that happend to you, glad everyone's safe though. it will fade over time but air fresheners always speed up the process. i would keep it natural though, store them around baking soda and/or tea bags
 
it's probably one of the easier restoration jobs imo
Red suede dye+paint brush and tape if you want.

If you look at videos on YouTube you'll see its really that simple

I had actually watched one or two prior to that post, but wasn't entirely comfortable with making that my first restoration project.

I'll be repainting the white pods and doing a little regluing on my Maize XIIIs one of these days, and that's the kind of stuff I don't mind handling myself, but I wrecked that suede back in the day, so I wanted proper TLC on them.

Thanks though, I may give it a go after all.








Pretty easy. this is photo is from a few years ago when i first got into restorations. 
  • Tape but dye them like there's no tape there, just like if you were painting midsoles.
  • If you havent already bought dye i recommend fiebings. Angelus sucks at suede dye.
  • You can use a dabber but you'll need a paint brush for the small areas. it doesnt hurt to use brush on the whole shoe though, that's what i do for my clients
  • it will NOT come out of the tongue easily so be careful.
  • make sure you have a good suede water repelant for finisher, on that pair in the photo i used force feild, got them free at my job, but i recommend them because they add a high glose component to their mixture which makes leathers shine and suede color really pop
  • take your time and let them dry 100% because ive seen people rub their shoe up against something and stain it.
  • Your using red so be aware of your surrounding. that stuff gets everywhere and its almost imposssible to get it out. ive had to replace a pair of shoes for getting the smallest red stain on patent leather of 11s (eff the cherry red bottom 11s). 

feel free to ask anymore questions

This is tremendously helpful my man. I'll have to pick up a brass brush or something to bring the suede's nap back from the dead, but I think I'll add giving this a shot to my to-do list. Repped.
 
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How old is too old for shoes to safely be worn?

I've got some retros from 04/05 that I haven't worn in quite a while. They show some signs of age already. I don't want to wear them and the air go out or anything.

Specifically...
Mars IVs. Paint cracking. Fixed seperations.
Black tongue fire red Vs. Heavy yellowing. Fixed seperations.
Varsity red VIs. Paint cracking.
Steel Xs. Small seperations I've repaired.
Playoff VIIIs. Paint cracking.

All pre-2010 retros of these models.

If they aren't going to hold may be time to offload.
nike glue says it will last 7 years but back then i new that shoes needed air circulation so i would pull DS shoes out of a box for a week once a month, fast forward to now and ive had 0 blowouts. of course sole separation, but that has to happen. other than that 0 issues. how were they stored though? that can answer it
 
I had actually watched one or two prior to that post, but wasn't entirely comfortable with making that my first restoration project.

I'll be repainting the white pods and doing a little regluing on my Maize XIIIs one of these days, and that's the kind of stuff I don't mind handling myself, but I wrecked that suede back in the day, so I wanted proper TLC on them.

Thanks though, I may give it a go after all.
This is tremendously helpful my man. I'll have to pick up a brass brush or something to bring the suede's nap back from the dead, but I think I'll add giving this a shot to my to-do list. Repped.
no problem. im not gonna lie i've never brought the suede back with a brush personally, but i know it works. but ive also seen someone pull the suede off so be careful. and yeah definetly make this one of your first projects, that photo was one of mine. its super easy and will raise your confidence in your abilities when you see the end result. 
 
this is a pic
somebody found the fix 1 time. i need it now, anybody remember? i think the guy said he bought the stuff at autozone. i know somebody knows what im talking about and if not have we discovered a solution for this? since it's in the sole i think Salon 50XOxiClean will get in there and take care of it, slowly but surely. but have we come up for a solution??

This is my client's problem and they're ds. dont ask they're my size and he will not let go of them unfortunetly lol. if we cant fix it he wants both soles either swapped or blacked out. 
 
on the pods ..
i would  deep clean it first to help it fade then go over the area with a ear swab and acetone. if that doesnt work i would take another swab and lightly brush over the area with flat white paint followed by a lil normal finisher and water repellent. have photos?
 
i would  deep clean it first to help it fade then go over the area with a ear swab and acetone. if that doesnt work i would take another swab and lightly brush over the area with flat white paint followed by a lil normal finisher and water repellent. have photos?

I deep cleaned them already .. this is before I cleaned the shoe on the bottom but both shoe looks like the top one now

400
 
A little off topic but does anyone know how to get ahold of that Retrosnickers guy? I need his assistance. Would go for John Monolo too if the price is fair. Thanks guys!
 
Has anyone tried Armor All Original Protectant on Patent Leather? Does it actually help renew and revitalize Patent Leather letting it shine?
 
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Has anyone tried angelus water and stain repellent? I bought some a year ago and forgot about it. recently used it and it didn't work well. I tried with water and the water falls off but not all. On the toe box water soaked in on some areas. Today I sprayed it down again and same results. Used ajko red/white canvas and triple white prestos. I did wait a long time to use it so that could be the issue. Maybe it expires? Idk but i might buy it to try again. Everyone else who has used it from what I see had great results.


Edit: after talking to someone from angelus driect I learned their repellent doesn't expire. Maybe I used too much water when testing? Not sure but I was tols repellent can come off when using tons of water as it washes away the the layers of spray. Makes sense but I don't think I used much water. They will be sending me more anyways so no worries lol
 
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Has anyone tried Armor All Original Protectant on Patent Leather? Does it actually help renew and revitalize Patent Leather letting it shine?


I used the wipes on my georgetowns that were dull after spraying the patent with water proofer and it brought the shine back
 
Hey guys,

Picked up a pair of XX3 lows that are pretty beat up to practise restoring Patent Leather on before I tackle a pair of Lebron Soldier 3's that I have; what's the best way of going about removing these scuff marks? I've tried Isopropyl, Windex and Acetone-free nail varnish remover, not much joy.

I'm in the UK, so it might be difficult to source some stuff however. Any help greatly appreciated.
smile.gif
 
Hey guys,


Picked up a pair of XX3 lows that are pretty beat up to practise restoring Patent Leather on before I tackle a pair of Lebron Soldier 3's that I have; what's the best way of going about removing these scuff marks? I've tried Isopropyl, Windex and Acetone-free nail varnish remover, not much joy.

I'm in the UK, so it might be difficult to source some stuff however. Any help greatly appreciated. :smile:


i heard stuff like armor all which was posted above works. people use wipes or the spray. i cant confrim this i havent tried myself but since those are beat i would try it if you can find it,.
 
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