Sneakers have transcended their role as simple foot coverings to become fashion staples and icons of culture. All sneakerheads own a pair of sneakers with some sort of sentimental or monetary value that they wish to restore. Others enjoy personalizing their sneakers with custom art. Whatever the occasion, it is important for retail employees to be able to help sneakerheads get the right product when they come into the store.
Leather Preparer
The first and most important step of painting your shoes is prepping the leather. To do this, use Leather Preparer & Deglazer. This will get rid of the previous waxy finish on the sneaker so the paint will have a better bond to the surface. The liquid deglazer can be applied to the sneaker using a cotton ball.
Paint
After prepping the leather, the sneaker is ready to paint. Acrylic Leather Paint (from Angelus, DecoArt, Jacquard Lumiere, and Jacquard Textile Colors) is ideal for leather surfaces and will not crack, peel, fade or rub off when applied properly. The paint is non-toxic and water-based for easy clean up. Colors can be blended together for countless options.
Acrylic Finisher
The last step is to apply acrylic finisher. They come in a variety of sheens from glassy to matte. It can be applied using a brush, cloth, or sponge. Once dry, the finisher will turn clear and give your sneaker a nice looking finish.
Check out this video of an awesome paint job on some Nikes:
