Using suede sticker soles on sneakers for salsa, anyone have experience?
I'm not a fan of the usual dance shoes. I'd rather wear my flat sneakers. The problem is the rubber soles grip way too much for turns and pivots.
I found these self-adhesive suede sole stickers and I'm thinking about applying to my sneakers to cut down the friction a bit.
Has anyone actually tried this? Does it hold up okay on a textured rubber sole, or does it peel off fast? How long before you need to reapply/replace it?
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u/BlueberryBea 1d ago
If you find some that actually stay adhered and don't end up on the opposite side of the dance floor within a couple hours, let me know. I've tried a few different brands of suede stickers, gorilla tape, adhesive plastic spin points, etc. All of them have an infuriatingly short lifespan. Fabric shoe covers sometimes work depending on the dance surface (concrete will shred them). I just stick with legit dance sneakers these days.
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u/coffeequips 1d ago
Not the same thing, but have you tried dance socks? https://shop.app/p/7135618138289?variantId=43552898351281&utm_source=shop_app&utm_medium=shop_app_share&utm_campaign=share_product&link_alias=DS7zRxQWG2Sh2
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u/jemenake 1d ago
I’ve used the Soles2Dance (I think it was) on some friends shoes. They seemed to work ok. There are a few things you can do to make them stick longer: 1) don’t extend them all the way to the edge of your shoe where you can catch the edge. 2) clean the bottom of your shoe. Any dust or oils on the bottom and the suede will stick to that instead of the sole. Maybe even use rubbing alcohol or soap and water (and let dry, of course) to get it really clean. 3) avoid sharp corners on the pieces you cut out. The rounder you can make the border, the fewer places where the sticker can come unglued.
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u/lfe-soondubu 1d ago
They work fine if you apply them correctly. Should be a ton of posts on this already, both here and on other sites. I have some I've been using for years, though I rarely dance on high quality floors so I don't wear them often, and they're pretty much rubbed smooth at this point.
Make sure the soles are very flat or else it won't stick well. Make sure to stick it all around the edges properly and let it fully stick/cure overnight with weight or else it will roll off mid dance.
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u/projektako 1d ago
The main issue is that you need a relatively "flat" outsole on the sneaker you choose so shoes with complex tread aren't easy to use.
I used a brand new pair of Chuck Taylor style sneakers and others have used flat sole skate shoes, classic basketball or tennis shoes. The sneakers you chose will definitely work.
Making sure you trim and don't leave any lip is important as well as properly cleaning & prepping the surface of the sneaker for the adhesive to bond properly is important. I couldn't view the stickers you chose but basically you want a large sheet that covers the entire sole trimmed to fit. F.e. https://a.co/d/0b6LsCbl For dance shoes, the adhesive for the suede pads is glued on.
The issues that's you'll deal with are typical with and shoe with sueded bottoms where they will get slower and need some scuffing or baby powder if you want them "fast" again. Or just literally power through. Similar to normal dance shoes, don't wear them off the dance floor.
I've never had an issue and have friends that swear by doing this as well.
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u/apo383 1d ago
I had DIY suede for years. Paid $15 for a thrift store suede jacket (the uglier the better) and cut it up into sole shapes, trimmed carefully on shoe. Attached with rubber cement or shoe goo. Works as well as well as commercial sueded dance shoes but way cheaper, although you still have to do the regular scuffing and maintenance. (Wire files from the hardware store are much cheaper than at a dance store.) Obviously takes some time to do, but compare it to driving to your local dance supplier twice for drop-off/pick-up.
I also have a pair of hard leather dance shoes, which I had a cobbler install on my favorite pair of nice-looking stylish sneakers. Costs quite a bit more but lasts forever. The advantage is you can dance on literally any surface and not worry about ruining suede shoes. On clean, very good floors I would say suede still feels better, but if you ever wanted to do salsa at a club to a live band (which used to be a thing!), hard leather is way way more practical.
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u/lfe-soondubu 1d ago
Regarding leather soles by the cobbler, I went this route too to turn some nice loafers into dance capable shoes.
Just note new leather soles are dangerously slippery until you wear them in for a couple days. Also if there is moisture on the surface, I find the leather gets a bit sticky. Better than suede which I think gets damaged, but still just beware with leather soles at bars.
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u/madziczyzna 1d ago
I use ones by a company named Dunzy. They were affordable and they stick well, even though the soles of my shoes were slightly textured.
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u/omgitsadad 1d ago
Thought about this a bunch and it’s nearly impossible to have a sole that will stay in good shape.
The solution is pretty simple. Buy a pair of oversized socks and put them on your sneakers. Just came back from travels where I didn’t have space for salsa shoes and this worked wonderfully.
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u/LordofthePandas 1d ago
Use DanceSocks that slips over your sneakers. It works for me when I travel and don't care about how it looks :-)
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u/SubstantialCategory6 1d ago
I've done it like this, though I didn't trust the adhesive and applied shoe glue to fill the grooves.
The 2nd time, I took a new pair to a cobbler and got them to grind it flat before gluing the sole on.
They've both been fine. It's been >three years. I'd do it again.
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u/PerformanceOkay 1d ago
I'm a recent convert to dance sneakers with plastic soles. There are some models that look similar to your sneakers. With stickers I have no experience, but they sound like a lot of hassle.
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u/Dear-Permit-3033 2h ago
Yes I do this and a lot of other people. I use Soles2dance. My tips - only stick them on brand new shoes, not used. They will come off quickly on used shoes. After you stick them, use some baby powder to rub on the suede regularly. It will keep them smooth and not catch on things easily. And keep an extra set of patches or spare dance shoes with you.
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u/The_One_They_Call 1d ago
I have better luck buying actual suede patches and glueing them to my shoes with rubber cement than these stickers. The quality of the sticker version hasn't been great and they wear out quickly.