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Does anybody know a good type of suitable glue to repair a delaminated sole on (modern) cross country ski boots with plastic soles (Rottefella NNN in particular). The delaminated part is in the front with a bar for latching in a binding, so it has to withstand substantial forces. I am not 100% sure about the midsole (boot) material, but it's probably either soft plastic or gummi.

I am not sure if any common glue intended for trekking/walking shoe resoling will provide enough adhesion and/or will stick to plastic sole. Nevertheless, I was not successful when looking for information or advice targeting modern XC skiing boots in particular, so any hint is welcomed.

EDIT: I suspect the plastic is polypropylene (immune to acetone, and burn test on small chip, I cut away, suggests this too – though hard to tell from such little sample, so not 100% sure). This would rule out most of the common glue types on market, as these are usually not suitable for PP and PET, I am afraid

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  • I would recommend going to a cobbler rather than self-repair. I had the same problem, tried to glue it myself (I think with contact cement) and it delaminated again. Not the answer that you're looking for, so not an answer :-)
    – kdgregory
    Feb 11, 2018 at 12:33
  • Hi @Sue, I am perfectly fine with your edit. If it is possible to specify glue type (available in consument market) without particular brand, it would be perfect answer (as brands tends to be region-specific etc.) Nevertheless, I hope it is not against the rules, if only possible way to describe glue type would be the brand name (better than nothing).
    – Martin
    Feb 11, 2018 at 15:39
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    @kdgregory, I admit this is a practical question. I have tried local cobbler first, but they refused to try, being afraid that their glue won't be enough. And searching on the internet gave me surprisingly little info (compared to DYI fix recommendations for trekking shoes for example), so I believe this Q&A could be potentially useful to others as well.
    – Martin
    Feb 11, 2018 at 15:44
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    I'm pretty sure the answer to every question about repairing footwear is "ShoeGoo".
    – ShemSeger
    Mar 8, 2018 at 18:35
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    Hi all! Thanks, but I am not looking for generic advices like "shoegoo is the best" without actual evidence or reasoning why it would work in my case. Note that boots are likely made from PP, that is "greasy" plastic most adhesives do not stick to. I did some research and still plan to test at least one type of adhesive. "Normal" epoxy does not stick to these either and can easily break under the flex, not good ... I will write some notes and practical report into the answers then for future readers.
    – Martin
    Mar 9, 2018 at 9:29

2 Answers 2

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I have found that the best solution for my ski boots has been Gorilla Glue and Shoe Goo. Before applying you may want to score the area with a rubber file (like the ones found in bicycle repair kits), this will help the glue have something to hold onto.

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  • Have you actually tried this on plastic boots? That is PE/PP? In the datasheet to Shoe Glue there is explicitly mentioned that not recommended for (among others) PE and PP. It seems to be the biggest challenge to find suitable (flexible etc) adhesive which sticks too PE/PP, as something like 99 % common adhesives do not.
    – Martin
    Mar 9, 2018 at 9:24
  • @Martin yes I have, and it has worked quite well on my X6's
    – QandA
    Mar 9, 2018 at 15:04
  • Interesting, thanks for the information (+1). I am still doubtful given the not-recommended by adhesive manufacturer, but practical experience is nice. I had already obtained PP-specified glue in the meantime (asked like one month ago), so I will give it try first, but keep Shoe Goo as a second attempt idea if needed.
    – Martin
    Mar 9, 2018 at 15:19
  • Shoe Goo also recommended by lots of XC folks on reddit (with reports of it working for over 5 seasons): tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php/…
    – Clay Nichols
    Jan 7, 2021 at 17:40
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I had the same issue with Karhu touring boots, delamination of the rubber sole front in the middle of nowhere, fixed for the return trip with velcro straps. I repaired this boot with barge contact cement, it has been tested on 3 outings. Of course the last trip the other boot started to unglue. Ran out of barge, now I am trying E6000, not tested yet. The E6000 dries with a better finish than the barge. I tested the E6000 on regular shoes, the one that I use in the garage for the dirty jobs and it has been doing well for over 6 weeks, but no cold weather in the garage.

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