noelle o designs

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DIY: silver shoes- good as new

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I love these Gee WaWa sandals I got at the Sundance Outlet last summer but they’ve lost their luster and are looking downright despicable. After an arduous and frustrating search for silver shoe polish, I’ve finally found what I need to bring them back to life.

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I found these silver savers, polish and spray at a local mom and pop shoe store (hint: when in need of advice, where to find a product, what actually works- ask a group of lady friends and you’ll always find at least one good answer… thanks girls!) Then the shop girl even walked me through the process.


With masking tape and paper cover everything you don’t want painted- the sole, the inside sole- don’t forget the buckle. I didn’t bother with the inside of the straps, I just tried to spray carefully.

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In a well ventilated area, like the garage, lay out some newspaper and find a pair of gloves so you can hold the shoe while spraying without covering your hand with paint.

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Hold the (pre-shaken) can 6 to 12 inches away from the shoe and begin to spray. Remember to turn the shoe up, down and around so you get even coverage on the entire surface of the shoe.

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I just held the straps in my hand and sprayed, in this case sliding the criss-crossing straps around for full coverage. The spray dries fairly quickly and seeps right into the leather so no wait time on the crossed straps was needed.

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All done. These are now way more silvery than when they were brand new. I’m going to let them dry for a few hours, then put the silver cream over the top see what I get.

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On the left is where the cream has been applied, on the right side- no cream. The polish dulls down the silver a bit and makes it look more like a real shoe and less like a magical slipper (hmm, maybe I want magical slippers?).

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I went with practical and cover the whole sandal with the cream. They look very, extremely silver here, not unwrapped from their taping yet, but just wait…


Good as new!

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