So many times you wear a favorite pair of shoes a lot as daily wear, and then one day, out of the blues, the shoe’s soles decide to become a separate entity from the shoes. Normally, you’d throw away the shoe, but they are your favorite, so what do you do? The answer lies in the saying, ‘If the shoe fits, glue it!’
And it’s absolutely true for us also. We believe that you shouldn’t have to toss away a pair of shoes just because they have fallen into disrepair or have the status KIA (Killed in Action).
Fortunately, there are different shoe repair adhesive & glue products you can use to get your shoes back into work mode pretty quickly. And what’s more, using the glue by yourself and fixing your shoes means that you don’t have to get your shoes to a professional cobbler, because they will actually use the exact glue products we are about to prescribe to fasten your shoes. And then they will charge you on the top of it.
For your gluing convenience, we have selected five of the super instant professional-grade shoe repair glue and given you a guide to deciding which one to pick based on what suits you best.
List of Top 5 Best Glue for Shoe’s Repair
The glue and shoe repair adhesive products we have here are top of the line, as we are interested in giving you only the best, as always.
1) Gorilla Original Gorilla Glue, Waterproof Polyurethane Glue
Though this glue is not specially designed for shoes, it is the first pick as far as we are concerned. This is because thanks to its superior versatility, the glue works extremely well on gluing your shoes back together.
The Gorilla glue 78001 comes in 3-gram tubes that are specially fitted with anti-clog caps and a metal pin so you can use the super glue multi-times. You won’t need so many drops of this glue to put your shoe back together, as the glue is fast-acting.
The glue is best for hard surfaces, so repairs with the heels of your shoes would be best carried about with this professional-grade shoe glue.
- The cyanoacrylate formula has been reinforced for more strength and quicker impact. Translates to glues hard and fast.
- The formula is noticeably thicker so as to enhance better flow control from the tube.
- A specialist in instant repairs.
- The glue is waterproof and also heat resistant to a very high degree.
- No clamping required in the application of this glue.
- The formula is harmful if inhaled, and might also irritate the eyes during use.
- The glue takes away the flexibility of the material when it dries, so it is not the best choice for the main parts of your shoe.
Cure Time
The gorilla glue 78001, being one of the best glue for instant shoe repair dries and sets in about 10-45 seconds, meaning you don’t have to wait long at all after application. It cures in an hour or two, but that is for about 70-80% of during. For full curing especially at room temperature, we advise that you wait for 24 hours.
2) Shoe Goo Repair Adhesive for Fixing Worn Shoes or Boots
The clue is in the name as far as this professional-grade repair glue for shoes is concerned. It’s generally perfect for repairing soles that have become worn and will also work wonders for damaged heels. It also does very well when it comes to matters of coating your shoe to prevent premature wear and sealing galoshes, waders, or rubber boots. This shoe repair glue’s formula is designed to resist abrasion and glue better to flexible materials.
- The glue retains its flexibility after it dries.
- The glue dries clear and helps to maintain the shoe’s color seamlessly.
- The glue is very suited to sealing small holes in shoes.
- Cure time can be sped up with the application of heat.
- The cap of the tube that holds the glue sometimes seals itself, making it extremely difficult to open.
- The fumes of the glue are really bad, so you may want to apply this glue outside.
Cure Time
The cure time is based on the temperature and humidity of the environment. If the temperature is low and the humidity is high, the cure time increases. But if the temperature is high, the cure time decreases. In any case, the cure time can be sped up as we mentioned earlier, through heat. We advise using a hairdryer on low heat to achieve this. The glue sets in 3 to 4 hours.
3) Duall 88 Neoprene Cement Shoe Repair Glue
This amber-colored professional glue for shoes is a cement glue that develops a very strong cohesive resistance quickly, almost immediately after application. Because it is a cement glue, it can be applied to parts of the shoes you want to glue, and then you can store those parts before gluing them later. Only that when you want to glue them, you would have to use heat to do so.
- The glue barely leaves any glue lines.
- The amber color of the shoe glue ensures that there is no discoloration on your shoes when you use the glue on them.
- The cement glue may not work for vinyl-based shoes.
- If you’re looking for instant gluing, this may not be the best shoe glue to use for repair.
- This glue isn’t really suited to shutting small holes in your shoes.
Cure Time
This glue has a longer set time than the first two glue products we discussed, with it taking anywhere from 8 minutes to 30 minutes to actually set well for you to glue the parts of your shoes back together.
4) Gorilla 2 Part Epoxy
Normally we wouldn’t recommend epoxy to you for your shoes, but the Gorilla 2 Part epoxy is different. The two-part formula design makes it nearly as strong as the Gorilla super glue we recommended earlier, which is good news for your shoes.
This glue, unlike the others, comes with a syringe and this makes application to be a lot more precise than the others. The drying of this epoxy is very clear, and should you choose to use it on your shoes, it would give you a spotless finish.
- The syringe is easy to use.
- The resin and the hardener ensure that the epoxy doesn’t harden, and with the cap on top of the resin, the syringe is reusable many times.
- The epoxy is not as water-resistant as the other shoe repair glue we have recommended.
Cure Time
The adhesive dries crystal clear in about 5-6 minutes, and the cure time for the epoxy adhesive is about 16 minutes, which gives you a bit of time for adjusting the settings should you wish to do so.
5) R-341 Adhesive Glue for Shoes
This glue comes in really handy for all the types of materials used to make shoes. It can conveniently glue-up coated fabric, leather, all kinds of rubber, and other materials.
It is also useful for things other than shoes so you will be insuring other everyday items of yours too by purchasing this glue.
To use this glue, you must thoroughly first use sandpaper to clean the surfaces about to be joined.
Thereafter you should remove grease from the surfaces and then spread the glue all over.
Allow a few minutes for the solvent in the glue to evaporate before connecting the shoe parts. Hold together and leave to dry afterward.
This glue is highly durable and reliable.
- The R-341 Adhesive glue is an all-purpose type.
- It is resistant to bending.
- Takes a while to set.
Cure Time
The set time is highly dependent on how well you use the glue, especially if you follow directions of use but it typically takes six to ten minutes to have the parts of your shoes all glued up. To have a complete set shoe, however, you will need more time. It’s best to always leave the shoe aside in a clean place for a few hours to have a complete set shoe.
Conclusion & Final Thoughts
These glue products will finally take away your stress trying to find the best glue for shoe repair. So on a note of finality, here’s us telling you it is better that you fix your own shoes at home.
Cobblers will fix your shoes alright but they too will use these same types of glue and charge you for it. Why waste useful energy and a few bucks then? It is only wise and economical to get the glue by yourself and use it to fix your shoes. That easy. And you’d save some money and time waiting on the cobbler too. All products that we have reviewed here can be trusted, you know we always have you covered.
