Believe it or not, every element of your muscular, back, and neck health can be linked back to what kind of shoes or boots you wear at work.

Once you’ve invested in the perfect, safest, and most comfortable pair of boots, you’re better prepared to contend with the elements that are set out to destroy them. If you’re wondering how much work boot repair you can manage on your own, you might be surprised by how easy it is to repair them.

Here are some solutions to get you started.

1. Repairing Work Boot Soles

If you’re a hard working person who wears through your boots in a serious way, you probably struggle with soles that come apart. While many people usually toss out their boots when they get to this point, if you’ve invested in high quality work boots, there’s no point in ditching them. Thankfully, there are simple fixes for repairing soles on boots that have worn through.

If you’re sure it’s time for a new sole, start by buying a new sole for your boots. Check to see if the boot’s original manufacturer makes soles to replace the originals. This is the best way to make your boots look brand new after resoling boots, the way the manufacturers intended them to look.

You also need some high-quality shoe glue from brands like Tuff Toe. Tuff Toe is a specially formulated adhesive glue that’s great for more than just for repairing boots and shoes. It will resist getting wet and coming apart when you put it under stress or loosing adhesion when exposed to chemicals and heat.

Sole repair is a common and simple affair if the fix seems easy enough. If your boot is otherwise intact and in good shape, remove the old sole once you have a new one. Then apply glue around the worn heel and press the sole into it.

Once the heel is in place, work glue around the rest of the sole and make sure it’s firmly secure. You may want to stand in your boots until the glue has dried or, if they’re hearty enough, place some weights to evenly press the boot into the sole.

2. Repairing Small Holes

Work boots can get dry, cracked, and end up with small holes in them. This is common if you spend a lot of time on your feet and put a lot of pressure on your work boots. If you notice small holes starting to appear, they can be fixed before they become too much of a problem.

Start off by cleaning the small holes with alcohol. This will remove any debris or impurities that will impact the adhesive’s ability to stick. Use cotton balls and plain rubbing alcohol.

Then wait for the area to dry and apply a little bit of a waterproof sealant around the hole. Press the pieces together and hold it until it dries sufficiently.

If your holes are a little bit bigger, you can apply contact or rubber cement to the area and then add a small piece of duct tape. Then once that is dry, add sealant over it to ensure that it remains waterproof and holds a little bit longer.

3. Repairing Large Holes

While large holes might make you want to give in and get rid of your boots altogether, you can still repair and save them. All you need to do is to obtain some leather that matches your boots so that you can make the whole boot repair move look seamless.

Next get some waterproof leather glue and rubbing alcohol. A little piece of sandpaper might be necessary to help get the two pieces to adhere to one another.

Clean the area around the hole with rubbing alcohol and some cotton balls. Then let the boot dry completely before working.

Rub the sandpaper around the area where you’ll be patching up your boot. Only sand this small region. Then cut leather to cover the hole and a little bit around the edge.

Apply some glue all around the area and along the edges. Now press the leather patch over the hole and rub off any extra glue. Press the piece firmly until the glue feels sufficiently dry. Let it continue to dry overnight.

Now apply sealant or waterproofing to the repaired patch to ensure that the patch stays in place and that the glue isn’t exposed to the elements.

Fixing a Worn Steel Toe Boot

Probably the most useful innovations in work boots has been the steel toe. For years, people worked in dangerous industries and struggled to keep their toes clear of falling metal or dangerous tools. 

The first safety toes were actually wooden, called sabots. The Sabot is the typical shoe that we in the US associate with Holland

The US Congress in 1970 passed the OSHA Act (Occupational Safety and Health) and nominated a governing body to oversee that OSHA workplace safety standards were enforced. You can read more on OSHA’s website.

When your sole is showing a sign of wearing out, especially around the toe, just some adhesive and material can help you do the trick. If the sole is coming up, just add adhesive and wait for it to dry overnight.

If you’re using electrical or metatarsal boots, the same kind of trick will apply to repair boots. Just a little bit of adhesive will go a long way in sustaining the life of your boots that are essential to safety at the workplace.

If you’re dealing with waterproof boots, drying and waterproofing with mink oil might be a useful step after the glue has dried. Waterproof your boots regularly so that they’re safe from any elements that might try to come their way.

Not All Work Boot Repair Can Be Done At Home

If you’re dealing with a busted or a dented work boot toe, for example, you might not have all the cobbling tools on hand to fix favorite work boots by yourself. Seeking out some work boot repair specialists might be necessary for safely repairing your favorite work boots. If you’re struggling to fix them on your own, thankfully there are plenty of resources for fixing them.

If you need to have your work boot toe replaced, contact us today for help.