Many taps are attached to the bottom of the shoe with screws. Some of the newer model taps have only one screw, while other taps have several. Be careful, however, because the screws that come with your particular brand of taps often can only be replaced through the manufacturer, so losing them may be time-consuming and costly.
Locate the fiberboard underplate that comes with your taps and place it on the shoe where you want the tap to be located. Some individuals believe that the use of fiberboard underplating is unnecessary, but it is a feature of the screw-on taps.
Place the tap plate over the fiberboard and insert the screws into the holes on the plate, tightening them with a screwdriver. Be sure that the tap you are using covers the entire area of the shoe where you want the tap, from edge to edge, so that the sound you create when tapping is the best it can be and so that you can accomplish all of the tap steps when dancing.
Place the shoe securely on a shoe anvil.
Place the taps on the shoe, making sure that the taps cover the shoe adequately for your tapping needs.
Using the nails that come with the taps, hammer the nails into the shoe at an inward angle, aiming toward the center of the shoe. The nails should go inside the shoe and bend over when they hit the anvil. Reach inside the shoe and, if you can still feel the nails, keep hammering until the nail bends over and is flat on the interior of the shoe.