Paint Satin (Bridal) Shoes in Any Color You Want!

Yes you can do this yourself! :D

I always loved red shoes and I really wanted to marry in red shoes. They are the best! I found lovely ivory colored ballroom dancing shoes to wear at my wedding and decided to paint them.

I never thought of making an instructable out of it. The pictures of the shoes I took during the proces were for my mother, who was really anxious about the whole 'painting perfectly good shoes' thing. So excuse me for the mess on the background of the pictures ;)

It may be a bit scary to paint your shoes, but after the first brushstroke it is actually really fun!

Let's do it! :)

Step 1: Supplies

What you will need

• Light colored satin shoes
  You can paint other fabric shoes, like silk ones, but then you need another kind of paint

• Textile paint
  I used Decorfin transparant textile paint, # 387, bright red. The color is red, but a bit more orange than expected. I used approximatly 25ml

• Brushes
  I used 3. One 1cm brush for the larger area's. A 0.5cm brush for the edges on the outside and a small pointy brush for the edges on the inside

• Stuff to clean your shoes before painting
  In the Netherlands this is called 'wasbenzine'. Translations on the internet are: white-spirit, refined petrol and cleaning fluid. It is used to clean fat, from your and others hands, from the shoes.

• Cotton pads and swabs

• Newspaper or something else to protect your table
  
  
• Rubber gloves to protect your hands
  
  
• Glass bowl, if you want, to put the paint in

Step 2: Clean Your Shoes

Put your gloves on and put some 'wasbenzine' on the cotton wipes. Carefully go over the satin parts of your shoes. Do not skip this step if you do not see any stains. 'Wasbenzine' removes fat (from hands) on the shoes. The paint could not be well absorbed by the satin if you leave non visible fat stains on your shoes.

Be carefull around the edges. 'Wasbenzine' is also used to remove stickers and can dissolve glue!

Step 3: Paint Your Shoes

After your shoes are clean and dry, you can start by painting them.
It is important to do this step relatively fast to avoid stripes or differences in colour. You don't want to take a tea break while you are painting ;)

If possible you can test the paint on a bit of strap that is too long and can be cutt off.
Remove iron strap 'things' if your shoes have any.

TIP 1: See if you can devide your shoes in different parts or 'sections'. I included a picture with steps for example. After the front of one shoe (step 1) paint the front of the other shoe too. This way the other shoe can dry and the chance you touch or mess up the wet paint is minimalized.

TIP 2: You can see in one picture that in the beginning I used painters tape to protect my shoes, but painting is easier without it (and the results are nicer). I don't reccomend using painter's tape. :)

TIP 3: Cotton swabs are very usefull if you get paint on plastic, metal or rubber parts of your shoes. The bottom of most shoes should also be easier to clean than mine. My shoes had a suede bottom (because they are meant for dancing).

Let the paint dry and put any iron straps on the shoes again if you have removed them before.

Step 4: Enjoy!

Well done!!!
Now you have unique satin shoes in your favorite colour!

If you want you can use spray to make your shoes waterproof and protect them from dirt. These spray's are available in most shoe stores.

You can use this instructable before your wedding like I did, if you want to wear your white bridal shoes after your wedding, or if you have other satin (dancing) shoes that you want colored.

I wish you the best of luck painting your own shoes and I'd love to see pictures!