How to Paint and Customize Your Shoes

How to Paint and Customize Your Shoes – Step-by-Step KixKote Guide

Want to turn your kicks into wearable art? Whether you're customizing Jordans, reviving old AF1s, painting midsoles, restoring sneakers, or creating a one-of-a-kind pair, this guide walks you through the full KixKote process using flexible, professional-grade shoe paint.

What You’ll Need

Essential Tools

Soft detail brushes
Airbrush, optional but recommended for smooth OEM-style finishes
Masking tape, painter’s tape, or vinyl tape
Leather prep, KixKote Cleaner & Prep, or acetone
Microfiber cloths
Gloves
Heat gun or hair dryer
Mixing cups or palette

KixKote Paint Lines

KixKote WALK101 Series – 101 full-coverage opaque colors
KixKote UV Blaze – UV-reactive neon paints that pop under black light
KixKote ChromeFlex – Flexible metallic paints with serious shine
KixKote Studio Skintone Paint Palette – Realistic skin tone shades for portraits, character work, restorations, and custom details
MatchMade Custom Color Matched Shoe Paint – Custom-matched colors for special projects

KixKote paints are water-based urethane shoe paints built for flexibility, adhesion, and long-lasting custom work.

Helpful KixKote Additives & Primers

Sticky Icky – KixKote’s urethane binder for added durability, flexibility, and adhesion
Brush Boost – Helps improve brush flow, leveling, and control when hand painting
Soft Feel – Helps create a softer hand on fabric and flexible materials
Thick Sauce – Thickens paint for detail work, stencils, and controlled application
Adhesion Promoter – Primer for leather, vinyl, and synthetic materials
Sole Flex – Primer for rubber, plastic, nylon, and sole areas

Step 1: Clean & Prep Your Shoes

Remove laces and insoles.
Clean the surface thoroughly.
Use leather prep, KixKote Cleaner & Prep, or acetone to remove factory finish where needed.
Lightly scuff slick surfaces if needed.
Wipe with a microfiber cloth until the surface is clean and dry.
Mask off midsoles, logos, stitching, or any areas you do not want painted.

Pro Tip: The surface should feel clean and slightly matte before painting. Paint sticks best when the factory coating is properly removed or opened up.

Which Primer Should You Use?

Leather, vinyl, and synthetic panels: Use KixKote Adhesion Promoter.
Rubber, plastic, nylon, and midsoles: Use KixKote Sole Flex.

Step 2: Apply Your Base Colors

KixKote can be applied by airbrush or by hand with a brush. For the smoothest factory-style finish, airbrushing is recommended. For brush painting, use thin coats and Brush Boost to improve flow and reduce brush marks.

Airbrush Painting

Shake paint well before use.
Spray light, even coats instead of one heavy coat.
Allow each coat to dry before applying the next.
Use 3–5 thin coats for strong, even coverage.
Use light heat from a hair dryer or heat gun if needed.

Hand or Brush Painting

Use a soft synthetic detail brush.
Place a small amount of paint on a palette or in a mixing cup.
Add 1–2 drops of Brush Boost into approximately 8–9 drops of paint.
Mix gently until the paint feels smoother and easier to brush.
Apply thin, even coats in one direction.
Do not overwork the paint once it starts to tack.
Allow each coat to dry before adding the next coat.
Build coverage with multiple thin coats instead of one heavy coat.

Brush Boost is designed to help KixKote flow better by brush, reduce drag, improve leveling, and make hand painting smoother.

ChromeFlex performs best over a light - medium base. UV Blaze colors pop brightest over white or light-colored bases. Studio Skintone colors are great for portraits, character details, realism, and restoration work.

Step 3: Use Additives for Better Performance

Sticky Icky: Mix approximately 5% by volume into paint or Finisher for added durability, flexibility, and adhesion. Use mixed product within 4–6 hours.
Brush Boost: Add 1–2 drops into approximately 8–9 drops of paint to improve brush flow, leveling, and hand-painting control.
Soft Feel: Add 3–5% for fabric, soft materials, or projects where a softer finish is desired.
Thick Sauce: Add gradually when you need thicker paint for stencils, details, or controlled brush work.

For midsoles and high-flex areas: Use Sole Flex first adding Sticky Icky, then mix Sticky Icky into your paint and finisher as well for added performance.

Step 4: Add Details, Effects, and Custom Artwork

Once your base colors are down, you can start adding details, logos, shading, fades, characters, and special effects.

Use WALK101 for bold opaque coverage and clean color blocking.
Use UV Blaze for neon accents and black light effects.
Use ChromeFlex for metallic hits, logos, trim, and high-impact details.
Use Studio Skintone Paint Palette for portraits, skin tones, characters, realism, and custom artwork.
Use Thick Sauce when you need more control for stencils or fine detail work.
Use Brush Boost when hand painting larger panels or smooth brush-applied details.

Step 5: Seal & Protect Your Artwork

Allow your painted shoes to dry for at least 24 hours.
Choose your KixKote Finisher.
Mix in approximately 5% Sticky Icky for best durability.
Apply 1–3 light coats of Finisher.
Allow 72 hours for full cure before heavy wear.

KixKote Finisher Options

Finisher 1 – Flat
Finisher 2 – Factory Matte
Finisher 3 – Gloss

All three Finishers are intermixable, so you can create anything from a dead-flat factory look to a high-gloss custom finish.

Do not skip the Finisher. It helps protect your artwork from water, dirt, scuffs, and daily wear.

Try This: The Official KixKote-Inspired Colorway

Use these WALK101 Series colors:

Flat White
Flat Black
Fire Drop
Cobalt

Use Flat White as your base, Fire Drop and Cobalt for bold panel work, and Flat Black for outlines, logos, shadows, or contrast details.

Post your pair with #KixKoteYourKicks for a chance to be featured.

Ready to Start?

Got questions? DM us on Instagram @kix.kote or hit the contact us button. We’re here to help you build better customs.