How to Suede Your Own Dance Shoes for Zouk

We’ve written before about some of our favorite zouk shoes, but sometimes people prefer to take a pair of shoes they already love, and turn them into zouk shoes. Nate, Mike and Lydia had all gone the DIY route and loved their shoes, so I decided to give it a try too and I’m a total convert.

If you already have a pair of shoes you like, this project is easy-peasy - it takes about 5 min and only costs about $20 for supplies.

Materials:

• Shoes you want to suede the bottoms of (I used Puma Speedcats)

• Adhesive Suede Sheets (Recommended brand: Soles2Dance), available on Amazon or the Soles2Dance Website

• Dark marker / Sharpie (pen won't show on the sheet backing)

• Scissors

How To:

1. If you’re not working with new shoes, clean the bottom of your shoes thoroughly (ex. using rubbing alcohol and/or sandpaper if there is crud stuck to the bottom). You want a clean sole to give the adhesive the best surface to stick to.

2. Trace the sole of your shoe on the back (paper side) of the suede adhesive using a dark marker or Sharpie - try to stay as close to the sole as possible (angle your marker in) to avoid having to trim excess suede later. I chose to suede the entire bottom of my shoe, but you may choose to suede just the front half of your shoe (and keep the heel “grippy”) if you prefer.

3. Cut out the sole outline:

4. Lay the suede sole on the bottom of your shoe to double-check the fit. Trim off any excess fabric if needed:

5. Peel off the backing and attach the adhesive to the sole of your shoe. Start by peeling off just a bit (~ 1/2 inch) to reveal the adhesive backing at the toe-side of your suede, lightly press this against the toe side of the sole of your shoe, and then make sure the rest of the suede will line up nicely with the rest of the sole. Adjust the placement if needed before taking all the paper off. Once you’re happy with the placement, firmly press the toe-side of the adhesive to cement the suede to the toe-end of the sole, and slowly peel the adhesive off the rest of the suede, pressing it down as you go (doing just a bit at a time will prevent air bubbles or accidentally sticking the adhesive to itself).

6. Walk around in your shoes for ~5 min.

7. [Optional] Let the shoes “rest” for an hour. The original instructions from Soles2Dance didn’t mention this step, but since this is a step in virtually every other type of 3M adhesive I’ve ever used, I let my shoes chill for a bit just to be safe

8. Test them out! Then you’re ready to bust out your new shoes - huzzah!

Caring for your suede soles

To extend the longevity of your suede soles, ideally you should brush out the suede with a shoe brush (this is the one I use) after each use - but I’ve frankly been awful about brushing my shoes regularly (I brush them maybe once or twice a month) and the soles are still in great shape.

But if you practice on floors that are on the dirtier side, you might notice your suede getting matted down or accumulating little bits of stuck crap, in which case you should definitely make an effort to brush them regularly.

Final Thoughts

So I’ve been using my sueded shoes for 6 months now and I am a total convert to the DIY suede. They’re still in great shape (and I dance/train 5+ hours a week) and I’ve had zero issues with the suede starting to peel off (although if that starts to happen, Soles2Dance recommends you can re-attach it using super glue). I’m even considering suede-ing a second pair.

How do they compare to Fuegos? My Pumas weren’t cheap ($100), so at the end of the day these DIY shoes cost about the same as my Fuegos (my previous go-to zouk shoes) - but theoretically you could do this for cheaper if you had a cheaper pair of shoes you already liked. But as far as comfort and performance goes, these new shoes knock my Fuegos out of the park. The shoes themselves are more comfortable, and the suede sole is a good mix of slippery-enough to spin on easily, but grippy-enough that it doesn’t feel like you’re going to eat it. I’d say it has a tad more grip/resistance than the plastic (I think?) sole of Fuegos, but in a good way.

The only “downside” is that unlike Fuegos which can be worn indoors and outdoors, once you suede a pair of shoes, you really can’t wear them outdoors (or get them wet at all) or you will ruin the sole.

So if you’re looking for the best-of-the-best dance shoe experience (in my opinion), sueding your own shoes is absolutely the way to go. Take your time finding shoes you find comfortable that you really like, and turn them into your new favorite pair of dance shoes!

But for folks too lazy to go the DIY route, or for folks who prefer indoor/outdoor shoes that can “do it all,” I stand by my recommendation for Fuegos as a great alternative :)