floorman007
Member
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2009
- Messages
- 12
Homemade spiked shoes
- Thread starter floorman007
- Start date
JD in DFW
Well-known member
I would suggest to all to spending the few extra bucks($14-$18) and get a real pair of spiked shoes or even the aerating sandals. These homemade spiked shoes made with drywall screws is just an accident and 10 hours in the ER waiting to happen. The DW screws are just too narrow and don't offer enough support to keep you level footed, and believe me it can be hard to keep any amount of even partial sure footing in spiked shoes.
The idea to make some spiked shoes looks simple and I'm sure they might work, but I am in these a few times a week and I have almost busted my a$$ on more then one occasion even with my professional grade spiked shoes, and those have bigger size spikes on them that aren't as tall. Plus they can be ground smooth to make the footing even alittle better.
No knock floorman007, great idea and again I'm sure they might work fine......but are they worth a possible trip to the ER and your ankle the size of a melon from the break or sprain that home spiked shoes can cause in many cases.
I have a used pair of spikes I would be happy to donate to all you DIY that want to try the floor coating your self, the only catch is that when your done you have to "pay them forward" to another board member to use and then pass on to another. Cost to ship might be $10, so once you pass them on they will have cost you 10 bucks...just a thought.
JD
The idea to make some spiked shoes looks simple and I'm sure they might work, but I am in these a few times a week and I have almost busted my a$$ on more then one occasion even with my professional grade spiked shoes, and those have bigger size spikes on them that aren't as tall. Plus they can be ground smooth to make the footing even alittle better.
No knock floorman007, great idea and again I'm sure they might work fine......but are they worth a possible trip to the ER and your ankle the size of a melon from the break or sprain that home spiked shoes can cause in many cases.
I have a used pair of spikes I would be happy to donate to all you DIY that want to try the floor coating your self, the only catch is that when your done you have to "pay them forward" to another board member to use and then pass on to another. Cost to ship might be $10, so once you pass them on they will have cost you 10 bucks...just a thought.
JD
rwhite692
Well-known member
Have to agree with JD...If I was doing a typical garage epoxy job with around $1K in materials, I sure as hell am not going to try to save $15-20 by making my own spiked shoes...and add any unnecessary risk of falling into wet epoxy on my keister.
AlphaGarage
Well-known member
We sell a set of very good quality spikes for $24, but I also made a pair for myself.
Way back when I did a first floor I had drywall screws, but as JD pointed out they have very little resistance against lateral forces, and they would bend a bit. Of course once a DW screw has a bend, it takes very little to make it fold completely. Although I never took a tumble, it was pretty clear that a nasty fall was a possibility.
So I made V2.0. The wood is 3/4 inch, and ended up using 1/4" lag screw, 1.125" in length. Counter sunk for the lag heads, and just used 4 dw screws through the shoes to attach the platforms. The lag screws are very robust, and I don't think my full weight on even just one of them would bend it.
I must say that I feel more secure in these than I do on any of the spike platforms, especially those real cheap nearly disposable spikes shoes that a lot of places sell.
These lace on nice and tight, and they're made from an old pair of my running shoes, so they're ubber comfortable. In fact they're sturdy and comfortable enough that I would use them in the Summer Olympics 100 Square Meter Epoxy Coating event**. Seriously, I've walked up inclines and stairs in these without a problem.
The one problem I do have is epoxy getting on the shoe laces - hate that.
If you're doing just one project it's easier to purchase a set. And regardless of the size of your project, I highly recommend using spikes - especially if you're using flakes.
** Almost as popular as Men's Synchronized Swimming!
Way back when I did a first floor I had drywall screws, but as JD pointed out they have very little resistance against lateral forces, and they would bend a bit. Of course once a DW screw has a bend, it takes very little to make it fold completely. Although I never took a tumble, it was pretty clear that a nasty fall was a possibility.
So I made V2.0. The wood is 3/4 inch, and ended up using 1/4" lag screw, 1.125" in length. Counter sunk for the lag heads, and just used 4 dw screws through the shoes to attach the platforms. The lag screws are very robust, and I don't think my full weight on even just one of them would bend it.
I must say that I feel more secure in these than I do on any of the spike platforms, especially those real cheap nearly disposable spikes shoes that a lot of places sell.
These lace on nice and tight, and they're made from an old pair of my running shoes, so they're ubber comfortable. In fact they're sturdy and comfortable enough that I would use them in the Summer Olympics 100 Square Meter Epoxy Coating event**. Seriously, I've walked up inclines and stairs in these without a problem.
The one problem I do have is epoxy getting on the shoe laces - hate that.
If you're doing just one project it's easier to purchase a set. And regardless of the size of your project, I highly recommend using spikes - especially if you're using flakes.
** Almost as popular as Men's Synchronized Swimming!
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TAMPAGT07
Well-known member
I agree. If you are spending at least several hundred on the epoxy and supplies, just spend an extra twenty for the shoes.
reddog1970
Member
This may be a dumb question, but does walking on the finish while it is still wet with the spike shoes have any effect on the surface? Will it leave marks in the epoxy or does it seal up?
Jaguar Fan
Well-known member
I picked up some used spiked golf shoes at a thrift store for ten bucks. Wait - it wasn't a thrift store (they didn't have them) -- it was a retail store that sells used sporting goods.
JD in DFW
Well-known member
From my experience it depends on the coating and if any thing has been broadcasted into the coating. We don't walk on the floor with spikes right after a full broadcast of flake as not to move or put possible scratch marks in the wet base coat and flake.
We do walk on the clear coat when its still wet with spikes, but are very careful to lift our feet and never drag or scrap the spikes on the floor.
It really all comes down to the type of coating down, how long it's been down and your level of experience with walking or I should say from not busting your @ss while up on the spikes.
For all the DIY's practice walking on your prepped floor for a few minutes before you actually start with the spreading of your primer or base coats, it will make all the difference in your floor coating experience....and hopefully keep yourself upright and not on your backside covered in wet sticky coating chemical.
JD
AlphaGarage
Well-known member
If you walk on the wet material with out spikes, the foot print would proabaly displace so much material that there would be a permanent, visible, low spot in the shape of your foot after the coating cures. The main benefit of the spikes is to allow you to walk on the coating while it's still wet without leaving any visible marks in the final finish. That's because instead of a huge displacement that doesn't fill back in there are a a bunch of small pin pricks that are easily filled in by the self leveling epoxy.
Of course you need to pay attention to the epoxy because eventually it cures to the point where it's too hard to flow back in and fill even the small holes left by the spikes.
JD advice to practice with the spikes first was a good point. If you're also going to use flakes kill two birds with one stone and practice broadcasting them at the same time.
Also, before you start be sure to place some covering immediately adjacent to the area to be coated, you'll need to step on something to remove the spikes and you don't want to leave a bunch of tiny epoxy pinpoints on your driveway.
Of course you need to pay attention to the epoxy because eventually it cures to the point where it's too hard to flow back in and fill even the small holes left by the spikes.
JD advice to practice with the spikes first was a good point. If you're also going to use flakes kill two birds with one stone and practice broadcasting them at the same time.
Also, before you start be sure to place some covering immediately adjacent to the area to be coated, you'll need to step on something to remove the spikes and you don't want to leave a bunch of tiny epoxy pinpoints on your driveway.
If you're going to make shoes for yourself, I recommend against the two designs posted above. As JD in DFW mentions, the shoes do take some getting used to and are more prone to causing a fall than regular shoes. The answer is that old Pontiac slogan "Wider is Better".
I'd like to point out this image Alpha Garage posted:
Notice how the spiked shoe isn't even as long or as wide as the tennis shoe and the spikes aren't well distributed towards the edges and weight bearing portions of the foot?
I wear a size 12 shoe. Instead of getting fancy and cutting a shoe-shaped board, I ripped a piece of 1/2" plywood into 14x5 inch pieces. This allowed me to put over a dozen screws through it and totally support my weight out to the edges of the shoe. It allowed me to have a wider base.
Plus it was EASIER to make - no fancy cutting. As long as you don't cut the board to over about 1" wider than your shoe, you should find rectangular-style shoes easier to use.
I also heartily endorse running a screw through the shoe into the board, one at the heel and one about mid-foot. Duct tape the toe.
I'd like to point out this image Alpha Garage posted:
Notice how the spiked shoe isn't even as long or as wide as the tennis shoe and the spikes aren't well distributed towards the edges and weight bearing portions of the foot?
I wear a size 12 shoe. Instead of getting fancy and cutting a shoe-shaped board, I ripped a piece of 1/2" plywood into 14x5 inch pieces. This allowed me to put over a dozen screws through it and totally support my weight out to the edges of the shoe. It allowed me to have a wider base.
Plus it was EASIER to make - no fancy cutting. As long as you don't cut the board to over about 1" wider than your shoe, you should find rectangular-style shoes easier to use.
I also heartily endorse running a screw through the shoe into the board, one at the heel and one about mid-foot. Duct tape the toe.
AlphaGarage
Well-known member
My first pair, with just dry wall screws, were a bit larger with screws more toward s the perimeter I moved them in a bit on v2.0 because on v1.0 I had to lift them directly up and walk Frankenstein -like, with the screws a bit inboard I could tip the shoes and walk a bit more naturally. Without a doubt though that increases the chance of a tip over, although after a short time I was pretty agile yet secure with them. For infrequent use, probably best to not take chances, and the wider the more secure. However, these give me a bit more appreciation for my wife when she wears her high heels- talk about dangerous.
As far as duct taping them, I don't expect these to look like cole hans, but I do have my standards!
As far as duct taping them, I don't expect these to look like cole hans, but I do have my standards!
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thundercow
Well-known member
Whatever happened to getting the used golf shoes at GoodWill? you have that much money in screws on that thing...
AlphaGarage
Well-known member
Me? Zip... for better or worse I have loads of odds & end; better so I can throw these together w/o having to make a trip to the hardware store, worse because I can barely see my workbench through all the bits of odds & ends.
I think the screws would probably cost $4 or so.
Old golf shoes will work, but you need to use ones that still have pointy spikes, the spikes that are all rounded over make wide marks that are more likely to not fill in as the coating cures.
I made the shoes because I find myself helping out on floor projects every now & then. If I were doing just one floor they wouldn't be worth the time & effort.
For as much money as we are dropping on our floors, it's really a drop in the bucket to dish out the $20 for the spiked shoes. Glad I did it.
And yes they are slippery be careful!
My floor was DONE and a moth flew in. I reached in to swat it out, and I damn near cracked my ***. Should have just left the stupid thing in there.
All I could do was laugh.
And yes they are slippery be careful!
My floor was DONE and a moth flew in. I reached in to swat it out, and I damn near cracked my ***. Should have just left the stupid thing in there.
All I could do was laugh.
OP
floorman007
Member
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2009
- Messages
- 12
I'm just a cheap *** and it was a last minute decision, thats why I made my own ( I spent the $20 on beer). They worked fine and were plenty sturdy for me BUT have to agree that you should just buy a real pair in ADVANCE, the thought of falling on a freshly epoxied floor is horrific in the least. Plus, I have to imagine if you're packing a few extra pounds you'll need the extra support. There's a post elsewhere on this site where a guy epoxied his hands to the roller pole!!! So falling off these homemade shoes would be certainly doable. So JD was right -- buy a pair.