I purchased Birkenstocks about 2 years ago and the heel portion is peeling. It looks like the thin leather sole is starting to come undone. Feels like this might be a manufacturer defect or something, as I don't do anything rigorous in my Birks and I expected them to last much longer than this.

Any idea what I should do? Is this a common issue with them?

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Quail-a-lot t1_jdai5ur wrote on March 23, 2023 at 12:13 AM

Probably need to resole them. Normal shoe maintenance! You want to do so before it wears into the cork, or the repair will be more expensive.

[deleted] t1_jdby838 wrote on March 23, 2023 at 8:49 AM

[deleted]

cateyedeer t1_jdbloez wrote on March 23, 2023 at 5:49 AM

Look into a cork sealer. Game changer for the life of birks.

cracktop2727 t1_jdas3ts wrote on March 23, 2023 at 1:25 AM

repeating what the other person said. not a manufacturer defect. normal wear and tear.

also look into the preventative maintenance like the sealants (talk to the shoe guys)

Sweet_Guard3904 t1_jdauo43 wrote on March 23, 2023 at 1:44 AM

Normal wear and tear. Get it fixed before you need to do it for the entire cork bed which gets expensive. I found an experienced cobbler to do that on a pair that was 20 years old and now they are good as new, since most of it technically is.

javaavril t1_jdbk91w wrote on March 23, 2023 at 5:31 AM

Have you done maintenance on them?

Generally every shoe needs some work about, max, every six months with normal wear.

For our Birks they get seasonal cleaning, moisturizing, waxing, and a fresh coat of cork sealant.

All our boots, shoes, wellies, and heels get similar spa days.

Maintenance is paramount and can't be ignored. Seems that you're 1.5 years overdue.

highfivehighfive t1_jdgif7l wrote on March 24, 2023 at 5:56 AM

I have never found birkenstocks to be particularly long lasting...for me the heel always starts to wear because they are heavy and difficult to keep from dragging...the beauty of them though is that they are solid on top and built to be repaired...almost all shoe repair people are set up to do birkenstocks

clayphish t1_jdaxaiw wrote on March 23, 2023 at 2:03 AM

I’ve had a pair for a number of years and haven’t had the inner portion peel. The only part wearing out is the sole. Not sure why yours is peeling, did they get wet at some point?