When you’re trying to decide how much of the laces that you want to cut, think about how you prefer to tie your shoes. If you don’t want to double knot the laces, tie them normally and see how much of the length you’ll need to take off on each side.
You can leave your shoes on when you mark the laces, but it’s often easier to use a ruler to determine how many inches you want to remove from each end with the shoes on and then remove the laces to mark them. Shoelaces come in standard sizes, such as 30-, 40-, or 54-inches, so once you figure out how much excess there usually is on your shoes, you’ll know where to mark laces of the same length in the future.
Don’t cut all of the excess off one end of the lace. You’ll wind up with one finished end and one unfinished end, so they won’t match when you relace your shoes.
Try on the shoes, use a ruler to see how much extra there is on each side, add the numbers together, and cut that amount for the middle of the lace. Tie the pieces of the lace together as tightly as possible, and secure it further by applying a small amount of instant glue to the knot and allowing it to dry. If there is any excess lace outside the knot, make sure to trim it away. You can also sew the two pieces together.
To make the tip extra sturdy, you can place a couple of dots of glue beneath the end of the tape before you seal it over the lace. Finishing the ends with adhesive tape usually creates a tip that resembles plastic aglets on store bought laces well enough that you can get away with cutting the excess length off only one end of the lace if you prefer.
Don’t use “instant glue”, such as Krazy Glue, because it will bond with your skin, making it impossible to shape the end of the lace. The best type of glue to use is one with an acetone-based solvent, such as Elmer’s Clear Household Cement or Tarzan’s Grip. They dry clear, and are waterproof, so they form ideal aglets. If you don’t have any glue on hand, you can use clear nail polish in its place.
Choose a diameter of tubing that will slip over the end of your laces. In most cases, 4 to 5 millimeter is a good fit. When you’re placing the tubing over the ends of the lace, it often helps to twist it into place so you don’t wind up fraying the lace. It doesn’t take much heat to shrink the tubing, so make sure to hold it a far enough distance from your flame. If it starts to smoke or bubble, it’s too hot. If you have a small, travel-size hair straightening iron, you can use that to safely heat the tubing. Gently clamp it over the end for five to ten seconds to shrink the tubing and finish the laces. Clear heat shrink tubing will provide the most similar look to factory-made aglets.
Make sure not to hold the lace too close to the flame, or you may light the entire lace on fire. It’s best to melt the lace over a sink in case a fire does occur. Don’t touch the synthetic material of the lace once it starts to melt because it may stick to your skin.
Whatever method you use to finish the ends of your shortened laces, make sure you’ve give them proper time to dry or cool before lacing your shoes. Many shoes features two rows of parallel eyelets, with one set closer to the shoe’s tongue and one further. For wide feet, use the eyelets closest to the tongue to provide more space for the foot. If you have narrow feet, lace the shoes through the eyelets furthest away from the tongue to bring up the shoe for a closer fit.
Crisscrossing your laces usually provides the most comfort because the shoelace crossover happens in the space between the two sides of the shoe, so they aren’t pressed against your foot.
If you haven’t cut enough of the lace off, trim a little bit more and repeat the steps for finishing the tips.
