Adding Traction to Boots

My wife purchased a pair of boots that she loved except that the heels were made of some funky plastic that had no traction. The manufacturer had molded grooves into the heels but they simply did not grip. This resulted in her nearly falling several times, until she actually did. While she wasn't hurt, something needed to be done so she asked me to add rubber to the heels. Here is how I did made her fashionable footwear safer.

Step 1: Materials

You'll see a lot of stuff in the materials shot I didn't end up using. Originally I was going to use Grip Dip, but what I had on hand was so old it couldn't be rejuvenated. So I had to change course and used spray rubber instead. Here's what I used for this project:

• Spray rubber
• Masking tape
• Newspaper
• Paper towels
• Cleaning solution (I used vinegar water)
• Something to hold the boots (I used my boot dryer)
• Utility knife

Comments

[Cassio1107]

That rubber coating will not last long. It would be a lot more effective to just take the boots to a shoe repair shop and have them replace the heel caps with rubber or Vibram. They usually can do that in a few minutes and charge you less than $20, and it would last the life of the boot.

[Tupulov]

Good idea! Well done.

[kinderdm]

I like this idea. I've been looking for a way to add soles back to shoes for a while now. The shoes I buy are pretty good quality but I end up wearing out the soles long before the rest of the shoe. They then get downgraded to work shoes for outside and around the house but could use some more tread as they are slick as heck and pretty thin. I think I will try this with an old pair and see what it gets me.