I dyed the Kork-Ease sandals

JAileen

I used Tarrago Basic Metal Cream in Antique Silver. My shoe repair had it on hand. I think they look pretty good.

1) finished shoes
2) wearing them
3) colors available
4) before color
5) in progress - I used blue painters' tape to keep it off other areas.

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9 years ago

General

33 replies

Latest reply was from JAileen

carter

Veteran

Wow! They look great.

9 years ago

JAileen

Veteran

Thanks! It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. It was actually easy.

9 years ago

viva

Veteran

Wow - I am really impressed. They look fantastic!

9 years ago

dustt

Veteran

Wow - I'm impressed - I might need to do this on a few pairs..... they look terrific and thx so much for the painters tape tip!!

9 years ago

JAileen

Veteran

Thank you viva, and dustt. I didn't want to dye the footbed, so the painters tape worked pretty well where the strap emerges from the footbed. I tore it in half lengthwise (because it was wider than I needed) and used the straight edge up against the straps.

9 years ago

Anonymous

That looks really nice!

9 years ago

rabbit

Veteran

Very nice! I've got to try this.... do you think it would work on black shoes, or only light colored ones?

9 years ago

JAileen

Veteran

Thanks Alicat and rabbit. At the beginning I didn't think it would cover the natural vachetta color. But I put on two coats and it covered the original color fine. So I suppose it could cover black. I wonder if it might need three coats. It only took about an hour to do both coats.

9 years ago

Parsley

Veteran

Wow, those turned out fantastic!
This is making me want to scour my closet for shoes to dye!
I love that color.

9 years ago

JAileen

Veteran

Thanks, Parsley. It was really easy. Taping off was the hardest part.

9 years ago

deb

Veteran

Good job!

9 years ago

kellygirl

Veteran

Wow! You did a fantastic job. I love the metallic--so pretty. I bet you will be reaching for these babies all of the time now. Did you decide whether to keep the other pairs?

9 years ago

May

Active Member

Wow! They look great! You did a fantastic job. I have an old pair of nude snake print sandals that needs a make over. Did you have to put any sealant on it? How many coats did you have to do to get the color even?

9 years ago

JAileen

Veteran

Thanks deb, kellygirl, and May.

I haven't decided which to keep, although I'm leaning toward the cream ones.

I haven't sealed them. The shoe repair lady sold me some, but for my Sorels that I dyed black. She didn't say whether I should seal these. I think if I ran them under water it would all wash off. I put on two coats.

9 years ago

kellygirl

Veteran

I don't remember anyone talking about sealing the color. I would think it would be fine. Hmmm...

9 years ago

Zibbets

Veteran

Wow, they look Jo Pro! Well done!

9 years ago

JAileen

Veteran

Thanks, Zibbets.

kellygirl, when I was working on them I had a glove on my right hand but not my left. Naturally I got some on my left hand. So when I washed my hands, it came right off. Actually the stuff I got from the shoe repair is to protect the boots (that I dyed a month ago) but she said it would keep the dye from coming off, which would make it a kind of sealer. I wonder if I should put it on the sandals?

9 years ago

Gigi

Veteran

Those look great! Fantastic job. So did you dye the taupish-colored ones and decide to keep the cream ones intact?

I am very confused about how it works to dye things a metallic color. It would seem that something metallic would be more like paint and could not permeate leather (or any material, for that matter). So is the dye not really dye but almost like a kind of paint?

9 years ago

Kristin L

Veteran

They look fantastic! Did you have to do anything special to them? I've been toying around with dyeing a pair of my sandals.

9 years ago

JAileen

Veteran

Thanks, Gigi, and K. I dyed the natural vachetta ones that I've had for a year or two. I haven't done anything to the new ones, nor have I decided which ones to keep or return. It is sort of like paint, except it has the consistency of petroleum jelly. I think it might even wash off. I didn't do anything special to them. If I had worn them a lot and they had been kind of dirty, I probably would have had to clean them somehow.

9 years ago

kellygirl

Veteran

I'm on my phone but check out Diana's post on her oxfords. She doesn't mention sealing them.
http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....my-oxfords

9 years ago

Ornella

(website)

Veteran

What a great result. This is more than just "pretty good" in my book. It's amazing what the right colour does to a pair of shoes. Thanks so much for posting - now you got me thinking whether I have something I could try the trick with. In fact, I think I simply have to try this with some shoes.

9 years ago

May

Active Member

Gigi, you are right about metallic color would be more of a paint and dye. I've dyed old shoes and handbags before but always from a light color to black and it was very watery. I had to do 3-4 light coats to make them soak in evenly. I would think that using a metallic color would be more challenging and requires a steady hand to avoid streaks. I really want to give this a try.

Kelly, I found that using a sealant prevents the color from rubbing off and makes it waterproof. I ruined a top because the black purse I dyed rubbed against it. Didn't know about sealant then and I end up donating the bag.

9 years ago

Eliza

Veteran

Those sandals look amazing and so neatly done. Great idea!

9 years ago

Ledonna N.

Veteran

You did a really wonderful job with these I'm sure you will get much use out of them knowing this is the color you wanted.

9 years ago

JAileen

Veteran

Thank you, Ornella, Eliza, and ladywone.

kellygirl, you're right Diana didn't seal her shoes either. May, I do have the concern of the color rubbing off. The snow boots I dyed a month or so ago, I used an entirely different product. It was a watery dye using a cottonball type applicator. Also, it was black going on a lighter color. After I had put on a couple of coats and it had dried, the dried dye would come off on my hands. I solved the problem by washing the boots under the faucet, and scrubbing with a brush. I could do this because they were snow boots, meant for water and snow. The shoe repair lady later sold me a product she said would keep the dye from coming off, in other words, a sealer. I haven't used the sealer yet, but I already washed the excess dye off the boots. In the case of these sandals, when I rub my hand on the straps, no color comes off. If they were wet, I think it would be a different matter. Since I live in a desert, it probably won't be much of a problem. However, I may ask the shoe repair lady what I should do.

9 years ago

Laura J

Active Member

They look fantastic! And thanks for the fabulous idea! Now if I find a deal on comfortable shoes but I don't like the color, I might just grab them and do this!

9 years ago

Vix

Veteran

Hi JAileen --

Well you know I'm a fan -- they look fantastic! Very impressed by your thoroughness with the painter's tape, too. Will look forward to seeing if you end up doing more, and more, and more!

For those asking about wear and sealing, I've used the same brand leather shoe cream on pretty much any shoe that doesn't move (ok, 9 pairs or so) for the past 3 years and had excellent results.

Water (rain) no problem, rub-off no problem...scuffing is the only thing that removes the color, but a touch up blends right in. [Beware that if you take them in for shoe repair the standard cleaning they do will take the color right off and you'll have to start over!]

For me the best analogy is that of oil-based foundation. Some of the creams are more highly pigmented (Antique Silver, Bronze), some less so (Silver, etc). You rub on a coat and can layer additional coats (in other colors) a few hours later to deepen the coverage. I recommend the deeper shades over the lighter if you're looking to change the shade vs just add a sheen.

IME, using metallic on black didn't do much after 3 coats -- just added a coolish pearlescent sheen -- and I didn't like the shoes enough to keep going.

It's a bit of a gamble as to how the original leather will take the cream after preparing it with acetone, but only 1 of my "befores" (a nurse white shade) didn't respond super-well to the metallic -- it went a little streaky, and I had to use something like 7 coats vs the 2-3 I normally do to get a light to medium color shoe metallic.

The shoes in the photo below were a medium steel blue, though, and took the Antique Silver perfectly. They're my favorites and have had hard use for 2 summers and 1 spring-into-summer -- I've touched up a few scuffs but the color still looks great (it's the rope that's looking a little dubious and I'm doing all I can to save them!)

SHORT VERSION: BIG FAN OF THE CREAM-BASED LEATHER SHOE DYES, GO PLAY!

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9 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Brilliant. Well done. xo

9 years ago

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