• Hi, I am the owner and main administrator of Styleforum. If you find the forum useful and fun, please help support it by buying through the posted links on the forum. Our main, very popular sales thread, where the latest and best sales are listed, are posted HERE

    Purchases made through some of our links earns a commission for the forum and allows us to do the work of maintaining and improving it. Finally, thanks for being a part of this community. We realize that there are many choices today on the internet, and we have all of you to thank for making Styleforum the foremost destination for discussions of menswear.
  • This site contains affiliate links for which Styleforum may be compensated.
  • We would like to welcome House of Huntington as an official Affiliate Vendor. Shop past season Drake's, Nigel Cabourn, Private White V.C. and other menswear luxury brands at exceptional prices below retail. Please visit the Houise of Huntington thread and welcome them to the forum.

  • STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.

    Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.

    Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!

    Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Weatherproofing Shoes

ComboOrgan

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2006
Messages
340
Reaction score
2
Will using wax polish (as opposed to cream) on my shoes help them stand up to winter snow/slush better?

I have a few shoes on which I use cream polish, and I'm thinking of applying a top-coat of clear wax polish on them all. Might anyone have a comment on the merits of this plan?
 

emptym

Moderator
Moderator
Joined
Sep 22, 2007
Messages
9,654
Reaction score
7,351
Wax may be minimally more waterproof than cream.

I bike or motorcycle year-round in all types of Boston or Washington DC weather, so weatherproof shoes are important to me. The only shoes I've found to be truly waterproof are one's w/ waterproof liners, like Gore-tex, but they're not always the best in terms of appearance or comfort (not as breathable as one might prefer).

Polish on shoes is like oil on the chain. You need to reapply regularly, and more often after they've been wet. Some use silicone to waterproof. I've never done this. Just use cream and polish. Most suggest that you only use polish on the parts of the shoe that won't flex, since polish can dry out leather and lead to cracking.

You might try mink oil too. I use it on hiking boots, leather bags, and leather jackets. It doesn't absorb well into calfskin, but I do rub a light amount onto leather soles.
 

arrrrffff

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 26, 2007
Messages
45
Reaction score
0
Don't use petroleum based products like Kiwi on your expensive leathers. Use a silicone based polish to water resist the leather. Just wipe of dirt after the day with water, then use some silicone. You could also use beeswax based polishes if you want more natural.

Your shoe won't be waterproof unless the seams and soles are taped sealed. An alternative would be Gore-Tex socks, which is what I do.
tounge.gif
 

tanalasta

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2007
Messages
71
Reaction score
0
Silicone and waterproofing tends to block the pores in the leather and can stop the leather 'breathing'.

You would be better served wearing alternative shoes when walking and then changing to a more presentable pair when you arrive at work.
 

ComboOrgan

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2006
Messages
340
Reaction score
2
I'm not overly concerned with keeping my feet dry. My concern is preventing damage to the shoes
 

stickonatree

Distinguished Member
Joined
Nov 8, 2006
Messages
3,067
Reaction score
4
Originally Posted by ComboOrgan
I'm not overly concerned with keeping my feet dry. My concern is preventing damage to the shoes

only on SF...
 

ziggyosk

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 21, 2007
Messages
352
Reaction score
2
Originally Posted by ComboOrgan
I'm not overly concerned with keeping my feet dry. My concern is preventing damage to the shoes


Thats my concern too. What does everybody do when they buy a new pair of dress shoes? is there some waterproofer that you can put on before you wear the shoes that will help? I know nothing will totally keep the water out, but is there something that you would use for nice shoes?

I just wore my AE Weybridges for the first time the other day when it was raining and it made wet spots all over the top of the shoe near the toe. I polished them after and it made them better, but they still aren't as good as they were before the rain. and I polish them once a week so they had a decent layer of polish I think.

I just got some C&J's and I don't want them to suffer the same fate
 

ziggyosk

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 21, 2007
Messages
352
Reaction score
2
what do you mean over shoes? yes I want to make sure the leather doesn't get ruined on my shoes. What can I do? is there anything I can put on them?
 

TCN

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jun 22, 2004
Messages
1,502
Reaction score
3
Originally Posted by arrrrffff
Don't use petroleum based products like Kiwi on your expensive leathers. Use a silicone based polish to water resist the leather. Just wipe of dirt after the day with water, then use some silicone. You could also use beeswax based polishes if you want more natural.

Your shoe won't be waterproof unless the seams and soles are taped sealed. An alternative would be Gore-Tex socks, which is what I do.
tounge.gif


Why not petroleum based products on good leather? Rennaisance Wax is petroleum based and it's what most conservators use on leather. If anything, I would think you'd want to stay away from silicone which actually alters the surface of porous materials permanently.
 

TCN

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jun 22, 2004
Messages
1,502
Reaction score
3
I join some of the above posters on not being particularly enamored with Gore-Tex leather footwear . . . I love Gore-Tex jackets and pants, but it doesn't seem to do the job when it comes to leather.

If you want to make your footwear resist the elements, you can always grab some sno-seal and various other heavy duty waterproofing agents and just coat the things, but I've found that doesn't exactly yield attractive results on delicate leathers. If I needed to waterproof decent street shoes, I would probably opt for classic Biwell, which is just a nice beeswax based waterproofer that shouldn't do much harm - might darken a tad bit, but nothing major.

Beeswax is inferior to microcrystaline waxes for protection, but it's cheap, and some say it's even good for the leather.
 

Tarmac

Distinguished Member
Joined
Mar 19, 2006
Messages
7,134
Reaction score
39
Gore-tex lined shoes may or may not be ugly, but their function is unparalleled. They are 100% watertight. This is what I wear when heading out of my house in a rainstorm.
 

MaxJones

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2006
Messages
170
Reaction score
1
Originally Posted by arrrrffff
Don't use petroleum based products like Kiwi on your expensive leathers. Use a silicone based polish to water resist the leather. Just wipe of dirt after the day with water, then use some silicone. You could also use beeswax based polishes if you want more natural.

Your shoe won't be waterproof unless the seams and soles are taped sealed. An alternative would be Gore-Tex socks, which is what I do.
tounge.gif


I strongly disagree with this suggestion. I believe that a beautiful pair of shoes, like a beautiful pair of breasts, don't require silicone in the least. I prefer to keep my shoes all natural and old-school, even if it takes a while to get it right.
 

TCN

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jun 22, 2004
Messages
1,502
Reaction score
3
Originally Posted by Tarmac
Gore-tex lined shoes may or may not be ugly, but their function is unparalleled. They are 100% watertight. This is what I wear when heading out of my house in a rainstorm.

Watertight, yes, but do you find that they breathe any more than any other pair of shoes that have been sealed?

I find that when I go hunting, I'm more comfortable with unlined boots that I seal up and just use a good wicking sock.
 

MaxJones

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2006
Messages
170
Reaction score
1
Originally Posted by ComboOrgan
Will using wax polish (as opposed to cream) on my shoes help them stand up to winter snow/slush better?

In my experience, wax does help shoes withstand weather, even if only marginally. I have a hunch that any combination of leather and wax can only ever be somewhat moisture resistant, never completely so. For me, the priority is that my shoes look beautiful, are "healthy", and will last indefinitely, since my favorites ones seem to just keep on getting prettier. By healthy I mean they're supple, able to breathe, have shoe trees when they aren't on my feet, get at least a day off after being worn, and get plenty of Lexol, cream, and wax as needed)
I've found that even my most apparantly delicate calfskin dress shoes still look as gorgeous, even though they've been caught in some truly horrible weather situations in which they were soaked clean through.
 

Featured Sponsor

How important is full vs half canvas to you for heavier sport jackets?

  • Definitely full canvas only

    Votes: 55 35.5%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 60 38.7%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 17 11.0%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 27 17.4%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 28 18.1%

Forum statistics

Threads
505,162
Messages
10,579,089
Members
223,884
Latest member
mickspilloto
Top