How can I make Leather Sole waterproof or resistant

beedj

Hi I have a good quality pair of smart work shoes (made by Barker - probably £200-£250 to buy equivalent today) which have leather uppers & soles. I am very light-wearing on footwear and they show very little signs of wear despite wearing once per week for maybe 5 years.

However they have started leaking when it rains - the water seems to be soaking up through the sole rather than leaking through the upper or a joint. Both shoes are the same. Visually the sole shows little sign of wear. Does anybody know if I can treat the sole in some way, or do I need to have them re-soled?

Thanks

Fruball

You could try rubberised paint - not sure how small a can you can buy though

Seakay

I've never had the problem myself, but I know that Dubbin waterproofs without making leather shiny, so presumably wouldn't make the soles more slippy

I also found the following links, which might help a bit

http://www.ehow.co.uk/how_5858070_waterproof-leather-soles.html

http://www.ehow.co.uk/how_5591226_use-beeswax-boots.html

Penelope_Penguin

As this has fallen from the front page of OS, I'll move it to the Clothing Board to see if the experts there can help you further.

Hi, Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: I’ve asked Board Guides to move threads if they’ll receive a better response elsewhere (please see this rule) so this post/thread has been moved to another board, where it should get more replies. If you have any questions about this policy please email [EMAIL="abuse@moneysavingexpert.com"]abuse@moneysavingexpert.com[/EMAIL].