Replacing a Damaged Stud Button

• 1). Pull the jean waistband away from the stud button post.
  
  
• 2). Place a pair of wire cutters as close to the fabric as possible to cut the post. This may take a few tries to cut all the way through the post. You can score the post with a metal file to make this process easier.
  
  
• 3). Pull the remaining pieces of the stud button free of the fabric. The wire cutters will cut through the inner pin holding the button to the fabric.
  
  
• 4). Purchase replacement stud buttons at your local craft or fabric store. Stud buttons come in two pieces: The main button face on a post and the back rivet, which looks like a tack.
  
  
• 5). Press the tack end through the hole in the waistband left by the previous stud button.
  
  
• 6). Set the post of the stud button over the protruding tack end. Flip the entire waistband face-down on a towel, holding the stud button firmly against the work surface.
  
  
• 7). Use a hammer to secure the tack to the button. After 4 or 5 hits, test the button to see if it spins on the tack or is held firmly in place. Also, verify the tack back is flush to the waistband and not at an angle. Continue to hammer the tack until the post does not twist.
  
  

Torn or Missing Button

• 1). Cut the button free if it is hanging from the jeans. Trim as little fabric as possible to maintain the integrity of the fabric.
  
  
• 2). Purchase a denim iron-on patch at your local craft or fabric store.
  
  
• 3). Cut two pieces of the denim patch at least 1/2 inch wider than the hole left by the button and tall enough to cover the entire height of the waistband.
  
  
• 4). Heat your iron to the temperature recommended on the iron-on directions. Place one patch right-side up over the hole on the outside of the waistband and iron it in place. Repeat with the other patch on the inside of the waistband.
  
  
• 5). Cut a small hole in the fabric where the button should go. Use the tip of a utility knife or a seam ripper. The hole is only to make it easier for the tack back of the stud button to get through the fabric.
  
  
• 6). Follow steps 4 through 7 in the above section to replace the stud button.