What if I ask you how many times do you replace the tires of your car and bicycles?
Once every year at least, right?
There comes a point where it becomes inevitable to change the tires of your vehicles simply because either the tread on the tires loses the traction thereby increasing the changes of skidding of the vehicles or because the tires have undergone punctures or have worn out completely.
But in no case, you ever think of replacing the entire vehicle, right?
Likewise, it is the case with your steel toe boots. Just because it has undergone minor disputes in the outsoles, you definitely would not want to discard them totally!
You will want to resole the outsole instead because walking in boots that have lost the traction can be accidental.
Even if your steel toe boots have not undergone any punctures or cuts, the outsole definitely wears out with constant friction with the ground and they start to lose the necessary grip on the floor or the stitches start to come off and that is when you should resole your steel toe boots.
It may be just once a year that you might need to resole your boots, or it might be once in every two years or it might be even 2 times a year and that entirely depends on the condition of the outsoles of your steel toe boots over the period of time.
Resoling is always a better idea than replacing the entire pair of boots because it is much more economical and also a more sustainable option.
But definitely in order to resole your steel toe boots, you need to know the correct procedures of doing it, the pros and cons behind resoling your boots and also the types of steel toe boots that can be resoled because not all boots are made to be resoles!
Engulfed in deep thoughts?
Duh!
You just simply need to read through this article in order to get all the answers to your speculations…
How much life or age is increased after resoling steel toe boots?
There is absolutely no hard and fast rule as to what should be the exact life span of your steel toe boots. It entirely depends on the materials used in making the boots, the construction of the boots and also the way you wear and maintain your boots.
But despite all that said, a pair of good steel toe boots should last you not less than a year or two after which the boots will start to show up some problems like fading and getting dull of the leather, wearing out of the stitches, but the first and foremost problem of all will be the wearing down of the outsoles due to wear and tear.
So, the very first sign of damage in your steel toe boots can be seen in the outsoles and if you mend it or just say resole it as soon as you see a dispute in it, automatically the life of your boots would be increased to a few more months!
Yes, resoling your steel toe boots will increase its life at least by 6 months to 1 year undoubtedly unless and until there is no major problem with the uppers of the boots.
Is it better to resole or to buy new steel toe boots?
If you ask me, I always prefer to resole my steel toe boots or any of my work boots instead of buying a whole new pair. That is because why spend too much when just a few dollars on a new outsole can do the job for me!
Resoling will not only save you money, but is also a more sustainable and eco-friendly option.
Resoling is also beneficial in another way and that is the old steel toe boots have already taken the shape and fit of your feet and have become comfortable for your feet with regular wear. So, changing the outsole will not interfere with the uppers and the inside of the boots. (How to Reshape Steel Toe Boots)
But if you want to buy a completely new pair of steel toe boots, it will not only cost you more, but will also take another month to adjust to your feet.
At last, whether to resole or to buy new pair new pair of boots will depend on the following factors:
1.) The cost of resoling compared to the cost of new pair of boots
2.) Whether only the outsole needs to be repaired or even the upper of the boot needs treatment
3.) Whether you have enough time in hand to resole your boots
4.) Your old pair of steel toe boots are cheap or expensive
5.) Whether you enjoyed walking in those steel toe boots
6.) Whether you are able to do the resoling yourself or have to pay to an expensive shop to get the job done
Can you resole steel toe boots?
Yes, you can definitely resole your steel toe boots just like any other work boots provided the boots have such construction to be resoled.
That said, not all steel toe boots can be resoled because in order to be able to resole the boots, there must be provision in the construction of the boots for doing so like for example the any boot that is made with welt construction or in other words, boots where the uppers are stitched to the outsoles of the boots can easily be resoled.
Steel toe boots are made with direct attach process
But remember, if your steel toe boots are made with cementing where the uppers are glued or cemented to the outsoles or if the boots are made with direct attach process where the boots are built by injecting a material such as molten rubber to a mold and then the part is directly attached to the uppers of the boots; such steel toe boots can never be re-soled.
See also: How to Make Steel Toe Boots Last Longer?
How to resole steel toe boots?
Steel toe boots can be re-soled following the same techniques as of any other types of work boots.
But still, if you want a particular method for resoling your steel toe boots, here it is:
Step 1: arrangement of the materials needed to resole the steel toe boots:
First you have to make arrangements for the materials needed for the resoling and they include:
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- Knife
- Scissors
- Scrapers/sand paper
- Needle
- Nylon Thread
- New pair of outsoles matching the shape and size of your steel toe boots
- Glue
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Step 2: taking out the stitching from the boots:
The very first step is to take out the old worn-out pair of outsoles from the steel toe boots and for that purpose you need to make use of the scissors to cut out the stitches through which the uppers and the outsoles of the boots are attached.
Then using your hands gently take out the thread that is sewn to the uppers of the boots.
Step 3: separating the outsole from the uppers of the boots:
After you have taken out the stitched thread entirely, it is time to make use of the knife to pull apart the soles from the uppers of the boots.
Step 4: cleaning and buffing the bottom of the boots:
Once the uppers and the old outsoles of the boots have been separated, it is time to clean and buff the lower portion of the boost where you are going to attach the new outsoles.
You can do this by cleaning the remaining glue on the bottom of the boots using a sand paper.
Step 5: gluing the new soles to the boots:
Once the old things have been done with, it is time to prepare the new outsoles for resoling the boots and you can do so by applying a strong glue on the inner side of the outsole that is to be attached to the uppers of the boots.
Better if you apply a layer of glue to the bottom of the boots as well for double protection. Let the glue semi-dry for a few minutes and then attach the outsoles to the lower of the boots by pressing them hard with your hands.
Step 6: attaching the soles to the boots permanently with stitching:
After all is done, the final step is to stitch the upper and the new outsole using the needle and nylon thread. But if you cannot do this alone, it is better to take the boots to a local cobbler and get it done.
Pros and cons of resoling steel toe boots
Pros of resoling steel toe boots:
√ Resoling saves the cost of new boots in case you own an expensive boot
√ Resoling allows you to wear the same comfortable boots that your feet have become used to over time
√ Resoling increases the lifespan of your favorite boots
Cons of resoling steel toe boots:
⊗ It might not be cost effective for boots that are not that expensive
⊗ Resoling might be of no use when the condition of the rest of the boot is also worn-out
⊗ Resoling is not worth it if you have to take them to an expensive shoe store for resoling
⊗ Resoling is a very time-taking process
Types of steel toe boots you can resole
Steel toe boots and for that matter, any work boots where the upper and the lower of the boots are joined through stitches can be re-soled easily.
Generally, this type of construction is termed as welt construction.
Following are the types of stitches or constructions of steel toe boots that make it possible to re-sole them:
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- The stitch-down construction
- The Goodyear Welt construction
- The Norwegian construction
- The Blake stitch construction
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And it’s a wrap!
That’s all with resoling your favorite steel toe boots. If the cost of resoling is around 50 t0 70$, it is better to resole your boots instead of buying an expensive pair with 150$.
But if you see that the uppers too have become dry and dull with cracks, it is better to get a new pair of boots.
I hope you enjoyed reading my article, and if so, do stay tuned to workgearz.com for more such exciting posts…
Till then…
Take care and have a great day ahead!
