Tuesday, January 31, 2012

DIY: Waxed TOMS


I've been wanting to wax some of my shoes forever - but never wanted to deal with the mess of melting wax....until I came across a wax in a bar format (no heating/melting required) called Otter Wax. After scanning their blog I noticed a post that showcased The Coveted doing a DIY on a pair of jeans which would also be a great project! (click here to check out the video if you're interested in trying this out on a pair of jeans)
If you know me, you know that I love TOMS for their comfort and philanthropy - and since they're canvas, I thought they would be perfect for this project.




For this DIY here's what you'll need:

  1. Item of clothing/accessory/shoes that you want to wax (canvas/denim would work best in my opinion)
  2. Bar of fabric wax (I used Otter Wax which requires no melting/heating) 
  3. About 20 minutes
To start, I brushed off any dirt/lint/dust from the canvas surface before applying the wax.  Next, I began applying the wax to the shoe. I put my hand inside the shoe and made a fist to provide a hard surface to rub the wax in.
The wax itself is really firm so it doesn't crumble or crack when you're applying it which is nice.  Since the shoe has quite a few seams and curves, I used short, firm, strokes to apply the wax. I went over each area a few times to ensure adequate coverage. Once you apply the wax, you'll notice the area darken - signalling that the wax has been applied to that area.
Some of the wax will build up at seams when you're rubbing it into the material so I ended up going back and smoothing out/removing the excess wax with my finger. If you'd rather not get the wax on your hands, you can use a toothpick to remove the excess.
Keep going and before you know it, you're done!
I couldn't believe how quick and easy the process was so I decided to do a second pair.  When applying the wax, just note that it's a good idea to take your item outside or into a well lit area once you're done so you can spot any inconsistencies in your application and touch up accordingly.
Pair #2!
The very last step is keep your shoes in a cool/dry place to let the wax absorb fully into the fabric for 24 hours. Any leftover wax can be used for future touchups or another project.

SRC's DIY Rating:
Ease: A monkey could do it
Time: Application time is super fast, but waiting time is 24hrs
Cost: Budget friendly - the wax will set you back about $10/bar (one bar can probably cover 3-4 pairs of TOMS - depending on how big your feet are)

2 comments:

Miss Cassandra said...

Great idea!!

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