Every summer, someone posts a photo of button-covered flip-flops and every summer, someone else buys a five-dollar pair from the drugstore, glues on some buttons, and watches the whole thing disintegrate by the second wear. The idea is genuinely great. The execution is where people go wrong, usually because they use the wrong glue, the wrong buttons, or both. Here’s how to actually make a pair that survives sand, pool water, and a full day of walking.
What you actually need
Skip the impulse to grab whatever’s in your junk drawer. You want flat-back or shank buttons in a range of sizes, not the flimsy plastic ones that came off a coat you donated in 2019. A mixed button lot works well because you get natural size variation, which makes the pattern look intentional instead of accidental. A big assorted button pack gives you enough to experiment and still have leftovers for another project.
For the glue, do not reach for regular craft glue or a hot glue gun. Both fail spectacularly with any water exposure, and flip-flops by definition go near water. You want a flexible, waterproof adhesive rated for rubber and plastic bonding. E6000 is the standard for this kind of thing, and it’s what most seasoned button crafters swear by. It smells terrible, so work near an open window, but it holds.
Round it out with a pair of plain flip-flops (rubber ones, not foam or fabric-strap styles, since the glue needs a surface it can actually grip), toothpicks or a small palette knife for glue application, and tweezers for placing tiny buttons without gluing your fingers together.
Planning the layout before you commit
Lay your buttons out on a paper plate or tray in roughly the shape of the strap before any glue touches anything. This sounds like an unnecessary extra step, but it’s the difference between a design that flows and one where you’re stuck with an awkward gap at the toe because you glued the big buttons down first. Start with your largest, most eye-catching buttons at the front where the strap forms the Y, then work outward with smaller ones filling the sides.
Gluing without making a mess
Apply a small dot of adhesive directly to the flip-flop strap, not to the button. This gives you better control over placement, since you can slide the button slightly before the glue grabs. Press each button down and hold for about ten seconds. For shank buttons, you’ll need a bit more glue since the shank creates a gap, and you should press the button down at an angle to make sure the adhesive fills that space.
Work in small sections rather than gluing your whole layout down button by button and hoping for the best. Do one side of the strap, let it set for fifteen minutes, then move to the other side. Rushing is the number one reason buttons end up crooked or slide before the glue cures.
Curing time is not optional
This is the part everyone skips and then complains their buttons fell off. E6000 needs a full 24 to 72 hours to reach a proper cure, even though it feels dry to the touch much sooner. Set your finished flip-flops somewhere flat and undisturbed, ideally overnight, and resist the urge to wear them the next morning just because they look done. If you want a technical breakdown of cure times and bond strength, the manufacturer’s product page has the specifics.
A few things that make them last
- Avoid placing buttons directly on the part of the strap that flexes most with each step. That’s where bonds fail first.
- Rinse off sand and chlorine after wearing them rather than letting it sit and grind against the glue.
- If a button does pop off, don’t just re-glue it in the same spot. Clean off the old adhesive residue first or the new glue won’t bond properly.
Done right, these hold up for an entire summer of actual wear, not just a photo for the porch. And once you’ve got the technique down, the same method works for embellishing sandal straps, canvas espadrilles, or even the edge of a straw beach bag.
