How I replaced my Birkenstock soles

When it comes to home, auto, or other physical repairs, I'm not really a DIY sort of person. Although I can replace a basic light fixture or faucet, it won't be a really professional quality job. There used to be a place in Flagstaff called Gene's Shoe Hospital where I could get anything resoled from Birkenstocks to hiking boots. Those days are gone. Nowadays, if you want to have your Birkenstocks resoled, you have to send them off. Well, I wanted mine resoled with Vibram, which is not an option. Also, I wanted to try using Shoe Goo instead of Barge Cement. Finally, I bit the bullet and searched the Internet for instructions and tips, and came up with the following procedure: perhaps not optimum—definitely not professional—but I think it reasonably did the trick.

  1. Vibram replacement soles are available on Amazon (I bought these).
  2. Preheat oven to 200F and place Birkenstocks sole down on rack for 10-15 minutes.
  3. One at a time, remove from oven and gently peel off old soles.

  4. After cooling, lay cork beds or old soles flat as a guide for tracing on new soles (I used whiteout).
  5. Cut soles outside of outline to allow room for finishing (I used kitchen shears).
  6. Before gluing, try strapping new soles to beds using rubber bands.
  7. Apply Shoe Goo and replace rubber bands (I used clear packing tape for the toes and heels).
  8. For the next hour, periodically apply additional pressure to soles.
  9. Let cure overnight.
  10. Trim excess sole with shears.
  11. Apply Shoe Goo with a toothpick to fill any gaps.
  12. For additional protection, apply Shoe Goo with a toothpick to cork edges in thin layers, spaced 3-4 hours apart (ideally, but my results turned out goopier anyway).
  13. Wait 48 hours or so, and trim edges closer with a box cutter; sand and/or file rough spots and snip off any remaining dangles.
  14. Optionally, apply a layer of Shoe Goo on the edges of the soles to smooth them out more (I decided that I didn't need to do that).
  15. Clean and polish the leather.
And here is the final result; the edges are still somewhat rough, but not too bad:

Anyway, it worked. Could I have found a professional to do the job for less cost than buying a new pair of Birkenstocks, I would definitely have gone for it. But I'm happy enough to put up with this.

The Circular File