How to Replace Snaps – Step by Step

Snaps are set with force, not thread

This is where snaps differ from ordinary buttons. A button is sewn on; most snaps are clinched ('set') through the fabric with a tool. There are three main types:

• Sew-on snaps: two flat parts with holes around the edge, sewn on like a button. No tools, used on thin garments, waistbands and the inside of garments.
• Set snaps (ring snaps and grippers): four metal parts – a cap and socket on one side, a stud and post on the other – clinched together through the fabric with pliers or a hammer and die.
• Jeans buttons and rivets: set the same way by force, but thicker and needing their own die.

Why snaps stop holding

A snap is made of a male and a female part that click into each other. It usually fails for one of three reasons:

• The spring in the socket has lost tension, so it no longer grips the stud.
• The cap has worked loose from the post – often because the post was set too short, or the fabric is too thin to hold it.
• The fabric around the snap has torn out. Common on thin jersey, baby clothes and jacket plackets that take hard pulling.

Remove the old one without wrecking the fabric

The hardest part is getting the old snap out without tearing a hole in the garment. Take it slowly:

1. See how the part sits: a set snap has a post that is clinched flat (peened) on the back.
2. Carefully file or cut down the flattened post, or prise the two parts apart with a flat screwdriver.
3. Lift the parts out without pulling on the fabric. Do not yank – that widens the hole.
4. Check the hole left behind. If the fabric is thin or frayed, it must be reinforced before you set a new one.

Set a new snap

A new snap only holds if the fabric gives it something to bite into. Match the type and size to the original, and reinforce thin fabric.

1. Place a small piece of iron-on interfacing or a patch behind thin fabric, so the snap has something to grip.
2. Match the new snap to the same type and size as the old one.
3. Set it with the correct die, so the post 'mushrooms' evenly and locks the cap. Too little force = it comes loose; too much = the cap cracks.
4. Click the parts together and test that they hold before you finish.

Sew-on snaps when you want to avoid tools

If you would rather not punch metal through a delicate or thin garment, sew-on snaps are a safe alternative. They have small holes around the edge and are sewn on like a button – several stitches per hole, and a couple of firm knots at the end. They take less strain than set snaps, but do not damage the fabric and are easy to change.

Have the snaps replaced by us

If you need to match an unusual or branded snap, a jeans button or grippers on a jacket – or the fabric keeps tearing out – it can be worth having the job done with the right tool and reinforcement. We replace snaps and other fastenings, and reinforce the fabric where needed. We work across Norway, you order online, and you see the price before you order.

Frequently asked questions