Learn more about our paint, how to use it and get the best results with SneakArts !
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
PREPARE
Like on most surfaces, you have to prepare the leather or faux leather for the paint to adhere.
Make sure the surface is clean and use our preparer or acetone to remove the factory finish / seal.
To remove the dusts and factory varnish on top of your shoes before painting it, you need to use a dissolvent.
Acetone has stronger chemicals and can burn the leather or heat the surface you want to customize.
Our preparer is made for leather and only remove the varnish without causing damages to the leather.
To have the best preparation on leather and other surface, we recommend you to follow these steps :
- take our preparer with a cotton and wipe down the surface
- for sensitive areas like the front part or for grained leather, use a sandpaper
- remove the dusts using the cotton and preparer
- make sure the surface is completely dry before painting
The faux leather almost has the same preparation as the leather.
The only difference is that the paint or original color may be removed much more easily.
That's why it's highly recommended to use our preparer instead of acetone. But also to apply a thin layer of light gray or white before painting (in case you removed the original paint).
Always clean your Suede and Nubuck leather with a soft brush or sponge brush.
To dye suede or nubuck leather, you need to dilute the paint to keep it soft.
Then you have 2 options to revitalize the color :
- to dye suede, you need to dilute the paint with ~50% of water. Once the paint is dry, use a brush to keep the suede soft.
- to dye nubuck, you need to dilute the paint with ~70% of water and
If you want to turn the suede or nubuck into smooth leather, you need to sand the surface using a sandpaper. Everytime you use sandpaper, you have to remove the dusts using the preparer and make sure the surface is dry.
Then use the glossy varnish as a primer, before you apply the paint (no dilution required in this case).
For fabric and textile customization, you don't need any preparer.
However, we recommend you to apply a white undercoat before applying your other paints. It will avoid the paint to bleed, but also help you to have vibrant colors.
PAINTS
The SneakArts paint works on many surfaces such as :
- leather and faux leather
- suede and nubuck
- fabric and textile
- wood and paper
- resin and plastic
As described before, the prep is a very important step before painting, especially on shoes or leather / faux-leather.
- Use a cotton and our preparer to remove the factory varnish or dusts. And a sandpaper for grained or soft leather.
- For a better resistance and flexibility over time, we recommend you to always apply thin layers.
- Let the paint dry between each layer (1-2min using a hair-dryer or 10-15min).
- Once the customization is done, leave to dry for 24h.
- You can add an extra protection or change the sheen of your project, using the matte or glossy finisher.
Note : For plastic or similar surfaces, you can use an adhesion promoter made for vinyl/plastic
The SneakArts paint is a leather paint with a high flexibility to avoid cracking or peeling. The paint is
Our formula is water-based, non-toxic and allergen free comparing to all other brands on the market.
The paint does not need any additional additive, except water if you want to make it more fluid.
With the SneakArts paint, you can dye suede, nubuck or fabric, and it doesn't require to buy additives.
You just need to dilute the paint with water.
- For suede, dilute the paint with 60% of water or more. Once dry, use a soft brush to keep your leather soft.
- For nubuck, dilute the paint with 70% of water or more, and use a soft brush to keep it soft.
- For shoe laces, we recommend to use 60 to 80% of water.
- For sockliner, we recommend 40 to 50% of water
- For watercolor or tie and dye effects, mix the paint with as much water as you want.
Yes, you can mix all our paints together to create your own colors.
In case you want to mix it with other brands, always be careful to not overdilute.
Of course, you can dilute the SneakArts paint to dye clothing, laces or sockliner.
With SneakArts, no need to buy paint additives.
For leather :
You can use the Matt Varnish to dilute the paint (no limit) or 5 to 10% of water to keep a good flexibility and resistance of the paint. The water will make the paint more fluid and delay the drying.
For fabric and textile :
You can easily add 20 to 80% of water, it will not affect the resistance of the paint.
The SneakArts paint is very resistant and can be applied on soles and mid-soles when clean and properly prepared using sandpaper and preparer.
However, we cannot guarantee it will hold up over time.
The SneakArts paints work perfectly with an airbrush or paintbrush.
Most colors are fluid enough and can be used directly in the airbrush. In case the paint is a bit too thick, simply add few drops of water to make it more fluid.
Using the paintbrush, you only need few drops of paint to cover a large area, which is very useful to customize multiple shoes or accessories.
- The UV Paints requires 5/6 thin layers with paintbrush and 2/3 using an airbrush for a homogeneous result. You can mix it with the white standard paint for a pastel effect or to apply less layers.
Always make sure you don't stay too long under UV, and to put the customization in the dark when not used.
- The Chameleon Paint offers incredible results when applied on a black surface or dark colors. You need 3 layers using a paintbrush and 2 layers using an airbrush for a homogeneous render.
- The Glow in the Dark Paint requires 5 to 6 layers for a homogeneous result. We recommend to use this paint with paintbrush only.
- The Thermochromic Paint disappears when the temperature goes up to 31°C. You need to apply 3 layers using a paintbrush and 2 layers using an airbrush for a homogeneous result.
- The UV Paint can absorb ~50 hours of UV rays. The effect will reduce over time. That's why we recommend to not over expose your customization to sun, and to put it in the dark when not used.
- The Thermochromic Paint effect can also reduce after multiple temperature transition. The paint will be less transparent when the temperature goes up to 31°C.
- All other paints don't have a limited lifetime.
PROTECT & CARE
Even if the paint has a very high resistance once dry, you can add an extra protection or change the sheen of your project.
Once your customization is done, let it dry for 24h. Then apply our matte or glossy finisher.
Always apply delicately the finisher using a clean paintbrush or an airbrush.
Of course, once dry, the SneakArts paint resists to water and washing machine. It will not crack or peel if you properly prepared the surface.
Yes the paint resist to washing machine and cleaning products.
We recommend to hand wash leather and faux leather using soap and water.
For fabric, we recommend delicate wash cycles (< 40°C) to keep beautiful colors over time.
STENCILS
SneakArts provides an online tool to create your own stencil using your logos or pictures.
We recommend to import good quality black and white images for best results. Do not hesitate to contact us, our team will be happy to help you.
You can add multiples images, change the size, the position and much more.
A Stencil is a sticker that you can use to fill it with paint. If your surface is not smooth, prepare the area first.
- Retrieve your design out of the vinyl stencil
- Use a transfer tape if you have small details or complex shapes.
- Apply the stencil on your pair and be sure to stick it on. You can use a credit card or another stiff card for this.
- Use our sponge to make sure you don't have a thick layer of paint. You can also apply an undercoat to avoid the risk of smudging, especially if you are working on grained or non-smooth leather.
- Fill the stencil with thin layers of paint, making sure not to leave any excess on the edges of the stencil, at the risk of seeing the paint peel off!
- Let it dry before removing delicately the stencil.
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