The 9 Best Shoe Paints for Long-Lasting Decorations

Made for use with leather and leather-like synthetics, Angelus Leather Paint is one of the best shoe paints available for painting on sneakers, athletic shoes, and other shoes made with glossy or smooth textured materials.

Angelus paints are designed to be slightly flexible, which keeps them from cracking or peeling when the shoe flexes during use. While they are fade-resistant, it’s still a good idea to use a sealant over them for extra protection.

These paints also support a wide variety of application methods beyond brushing them on with a paintbrush, including using an airbrush for even coating or stenciling and sponges for texture.

A popular way to customize shoes (especially canvas and fabric shoes) is by using paint markers. More durable than regular markers but with the versatility of easy application, paint pens make it possible to add incredibly intricate designs onto your shoes.

Uni Poca markers are multi-surface and waterproof, though it is always best practice to use a sealant for protection against fading and stains regardless. They also don’t bleed through substrates, so you don’t need to worry about them smudging while you apply them.

With a wide variety of available colors, the Uni Poca Paint Marker Set offers a lot of potential for creativity. However, there is no way to blend the colors into specific hues like you can with traditional paints, so if you are trying to match tones closely (like with skin tones, for example), paints may be a better alternative.

Fabric paints are a great way to customize fabric and canvas shoes, and Magicfly fabric paint is a high-quality and easy-to-use option. While most fabric paints require heat treatment to fully cure the design (usually by using a laundry or hair dryer, iron, or heat press), Magicfly paints cure when they air dry.

These paints also dry with a soft touch, while other fabric paint brands tend to cure into a thick, flexible plastic-like material. This makes them a great option for more delicate fabrics that are more malleable since they won’t deform the shape of the shoe or make them too stiff.

The paints are semi-transparent, so they have a lovely vintage look when dried. You can also create watercolor and stained glass effects quite easily. They are opaque enough to cover most lighter bases (light grays, jeans, etc.) but work best with white shoes. When painting on color or gray bases, you may need to apply multiple thin coats for full coverage.

As a common craft-grade acrylic paint, FolkArt acrylic paints are incredibly popular with artists who work on varied surfaces. It is available in a wide array of colors and bonds well with most materials. While it works best with cloth shoes, it can also work on leather, vinyl, and even rubber, so you can theoretically decorate your entire shoe.

It can crack if applied too heavily, so thin layers work best on canvas shoes or other flexible materials. Leather or vinyl shoes are a bit stiffer and typically can handle the thicker layers needed to cover their smooth surfaces.

If you want to add an extra touch to your shoes, Midnight Glo UV paint is an excellent choice. UV paints glow under blacklights, so if you frequent places like bars, clubs, or even bowling alleys that use UV light effects, you can really make your custom shoes stand out. And if that’s not your thing, you can watch them change colors in plain old sunlight as well!

Midnight Glo paints work with non-glossy surfaces, so these paints won’t work with materials like leather, pleather, or vinyl. However, they are an excellent option for canvas and fabric shoes and with eight different colors, you have a lot of flexibility with how your finished project looks.

If you want easy all-over coverage or thin, consistent coats, Krylon ColorMaster spray paints are one of the best available. With a large selection of fun colors in a variety of finishes (matte, satin, gloss, metallic, and semi-gloss), it’s easy to achieve exactly the look you want.

Rated for indoor and outdoor projects alike, Krylon spray paints are durable enough to withstand things like water, ice, and other outdoor hazards much better than other types of paint. It also has a special 360 spray head that allows it to spray from any direction for perfect coats and less trigger finger fatigue.

When you are customizing dark-colored shoes, adding white designs can be a striking contrast. However, most white paints aren’t opaque enough to fully cover the dark background and need several coats to get even basic coverage. That’s why vibrant white paint can make all the difference!

Angelus white leather paint offers all the features of their other acrylic paint for leather like flexibility, fade resistance, and crack and peel resistance while giving exceptional coverage when used on dark materials.

Since it’s water-based, it is easy to clean up in case of spills or paint mistakes, and it dries quickly so you don’t have to wait long in between multiple coats. For dark-colored leather, pleather, and vinyl shoes, Angelus white leather paint is our go-to choice.

For superior protection, Plasti Dip Rubberized Coating is a durable sealant that adds a layer of flexible, rubber-like material to your shoes. You can use it to waterproof them against the elements, protect them from wear and tear, make them skid and slip resistant, and defend them against chemical and acid damage.

Plasti Dip is a clear or opaque product that comes in an assortment of colors, so you have quite a bit of creative freedom with how your finished product looks. It’s not ideal for creating intricate designs due to the viscosity of the paint, but some creative use of stencils or painter’s tape could potentially add some basic two-tone decorations to your shoes.

A must-have when using acrylic or other water-based paints on your shoes, Angelus 620 Acrylic Finisher is a protective coating that gives your designs some protection from the elements and keeps your painted designs from scratching or chipping.

Angelus 620 is flexible like their paints, so it won’t make your shoes too stiff after it is applied. It does have a matte finish, so any glossy paints sealed with it may lose some of their shine. However, since it supports a wide array of application processes (including a spray gun), it shouldn’t dull them too much when a light and even coat is used.