How do you store your LPs?

Aloha all!

Now that I have a player and a collection of about 40 LPs, I'm in need of a storage device!
I've got a spot for the player, but no rack for the records.

What are you people using? Are there any repros that look chic enough for a 50s/60s room? Bamboo clad? Chrome? Teak? Lucite?

The only one I've found online was made in 1965 by a canadian company called Metalsmiths Co.

I'd love to hear any and all ideas!

I'd also love a little business card style holder to display whatever LP I happen to be playing.

Funny you bring this up. I've been puzzled by the same thing. Except, I've got a lot more than 40 LPs. Right now, they're on shelves in a closet. But since old record spines are usually beat up, you can't read what record is what. So I'm looking at building bins like you see in a record store, so I can flip through the records. Of course, that takes up a lot of room, though.

Good luck with whatever you come up with. My only recommendation is to go with a "bin" system if you plan on collecting a lot of records. Down the road, I think it'll be easier to see what you have.

On 2005-06-22 15:32, Tikiwahine wrote:
...I'd also love a little business card style holder to display whatever LP I happen to be playing.

You might be able to find a mini easel that holds picture frames for something like that... ?

skully, good idea! Or maybe a recipe book holder?

[ Edited by: Tikiwahine on 2005-06-22 21:06 ]

Man, I LOVE the picture of that rack! I've got over 2,500 LPS..I store them in a couple of shelving units (Probably intended for books or bric-a-brac from an Indonesian import store. Perhaps you could find something like that if you wanted a tiki rather than retro look.

I'm using some really cheap Ikea unfinished wood modular shelves. They are the ones that are unfinished pine or something where you buy the ends and the shelves separately. They are very cheap and just the right width to hold LPs upright. I use the lower shelvs, I'm affraid the tall ones would tip over.

I picked up an old rattan magazine rack. I only have maybe 20 or so albums in it but there is room for more.
I suppose you could rotate your favorite listening in to save space.
Aloha,
:tiki:

I used to love the old Napa crates... but then about 15 years ago you couldn't find em anywhere. So I went to Home Depot and bought the strongest storage shelves they had and lined the walls of my record room. It ain't pretty, but we're talking maybe 5,000+ pieces.

What I've been looking at lately is from Ikea:

$99 here

I'm thinking a few of these on casters for my more "active rotation" albums, and leave the rest in the storage room. However, now that I'm looking at the pic, I think they've cheapened the inner shelf piece and it doesn't hold the same weight. Hmmm. Anyway, it's still my idea...

BTW, they make a larger size that is 6ft x 6ft... you could make a room divider out of it and use a shelf or 2 for vinyl, some for mugs, some for your Precious Moments or Hummels. :wink:

-Z

Thank God The Tiki Bar Is Open
Thank God The Tiki Torch Still Shines...

[ Edited by: Feelin' Zombified on 2005-06-23 10:57 ]

I have a "Journalist" wood and metal wall unit from Ikea. It's one of those where all the parts are sold separately and you can build it however you want. The cabinets have either wood or glass doors and are the perfect size for storing LPs.

cool!

cyn, that sounds like soemthing that would work for me, I have a space about 2 feet wide and however tall. I'll have to check the ikea web site for more ideas. The units I can put baskets into might work

It would be cool to have something in chrome or glass and chrome. My local value village now has three wire brass record stands, but having them chromed would probably be very expensive, and I'm not too hot on the thin wire.

[ Edited by: Tikiwahine on 2005-06-23 15:41 ]

I'm one of those with a large LP collection - probably 80 linear feet of records, most of them purchased in thrifts stores over the last 12 years. Almost all of them are in my basement, on sturdy shelves that I bought at IKEA - strong enough that they do not sag. These are stored vertically, so I can read the spines - that seems to be the best way for me to find something quickly. I have some wicker shelves that work OK too, but smooth wood shelves do work better, as the record corners don't get caught in the weaving.

I do try to keep a small select number of choice LPs in a handy, more visible location that is located next to an old portable carrying type stereo in my tiki room (not in my basement). I really like those old wire record holders for this purpose, which allow me to rapidly rotate records in and out from my basement shelves as my tastes change. You can find them pretty cheap on e-bay.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=306&item=4741081973&rd=1

My collection went from zero to many in only a few years, and always seem to be in a state where I am trying to squeeze too many records in too small of a space. At first I tried to display some of my records with the front covers facing out like a record store, but at some point this really became inconvenient.

Vern

Ikea. I've got a few different pieces (same wood though), I think the last one I got was called "LACK" -- a tall shelf unit.

Even though I hate putting Ikea stuff together (I've got a bunch of those hex keys in a drawer now), the stuff is cheap, strong, and looks pretty good.

This is always a problem...with thousands of records, there is never enough shelving and they end up in my office, in the bedroom, living room, closets. I'm going to start thinning things down as most are boxed up from the last move.

BTW for long-term storage it is highly recommended that you only use untreated wood shelving. Over time the chemicals from paint and varnish will have an effect on the vinyl.

Okay. Let me say right up front that I realize I'm a bit of an oddball in this day and age. I, though, own well over 3,000 LPs (as well as about as many CDs and nearly as many old 45s). I figured I'd post this just in case any other serious obsessives are looking for storage options.

The best thing I've found is available at Lowe's and Home Depot and is a rack with four levels each about 13" tall and 12" deep. I guess it's about 4' wide. It's constructed of Pine but is very sturdy. It runs at about $50 per. It's almost as if they were designed to hold albums (although they could not possibly have been if they were designed within the last 15 years).

I wish I could help with the "Smaller Number of LPs" questions, but once you've gone too far past some subjects, you just can't get back.

Traitor

Is there a particular name for this shelving unit? Can ya maybe scan a picture? $50.00 is a great price!

I have a lot of albums, around 1200 or so. My house has a lot of light and the sun fades and warps vinyl, so I converted an old utility closet into a record shelf. I pulled out the closet pole and installed 5, 1" untreated plywood shelves 14" apart. I have no problem fitting the oversized box sets on them. Works perfect. Keeps them cool and keeps people from pulling them out and messing with them, too. I have my 45's in boxes stored on the floor underneath the bottom shelf. I call it my "secret stash."

I bought my rack in the days when people still owned records, and CDs were new. It has movable shelves and storage for both. It really only holds maybe 3 shelves of records, but it holds enough for my main collection. I bought some of those chrome kitchen type shelves as well and added panels to the sides so the records won't fall off.

As for the "Now Playing" stand, you can use the little display rack used by freaks who collect and display plates. I also have a 7 CD changer and found a little rack in some thrift store that allows me to have those out on display as well.

The next tough question is, how do you store your records so that you can see them to go through and grab what you want easily. That's tough. You end up with ring wear or you can't see the cover...

On 2005-07-04 07:24, Swanky wrote:
As for the "Now Playing" stand, you can use the little display rack used by freaks who collect and display plates.

I always suspected that I was a freak. Now I know it's true!

I have my LPs filed vertically with the spine showing. If you purchase plastic outersleeves it keeps the LP covers dust free and keeps the surface safe from friction wear, such as ring marks or errant kittens using them for a scratching post.

On 2005-06-23 10:52, Feelin' Zombified wrote:
What I've been looking at lately is from Ikea:

Yeah, that's the unit I use, though it cost a lot more than $99 over here in 'Rip-off Britain'. It's very sturdy and holds a good number of records. Perhaps about 100 per square.

Trader Woody

best to store lps in a cool, dry, dark area - with reasonable air circulation. before & after each play, thoroughly clean the disk. you can still find paper sleeves for the vinyl and there are polyethylene sleeves for protecting the album cover and all!

don't stack or put weight on the stored vinyl.

and try to avoid "loaning" records... digitize the data and store everything you can as digital files. record mountains can be reduced to record hillsides if you "loan" stuff out.

some vinyl can be real hard to come by!

yank from storage frequently and enjoy!

Feelin' Zombified wrote:

...

BTW, they make a larger size that is
6ft x 6ft... you could make a room
divider out of it and use a shelf or
2 for vinyl, some for mugs, some for
your Precious Moments or Hummels.
:wink:

NOOOOOOOooooooo!!! Thoughts of Conan
O'Brien's "If They Made It" (or what-
ever) segment running through my head.
MUST NOT THINK OF THE MATING
OF A TIKI AND PRECIOUS MOMENTS!!!
AAIEEEEEEEGH!

BTW, I use wooden "crates" to hold my
400+ vinyl albums and 12" singles. I
bought them YEARS ago. The "ends" were
already assembled but I had to nail
the connecting slats into place. I
precisely spaced the slats so that I
can stack them and they "interlock".
I had a few slats left over so I made
a sort of "closed top" shelf on the
top of the top one.

Since this thread I found a vintage record stand, the ones with the wire separators, but in chrome instead of brass!

I scored it for $3 at my local flea market. My collection has also grown to over 150, completely filling the rack. At only .10 - $1.50 they're irresistible when hunting at thrift stores and garage sales.

I recently exhumed my vinyl collection from the catacombs aka parents' basement and grabbed a brand new turntable. The vinyl bug bit me again and I have been searching thrifts. At an average price of a buck per LP, I have already doubled my collection.

I have several storage areas. My hi fi gear resides on a vintage Danish Modern entertainment center which comes with sectional spaces for LPs. I quickly exhausted the space there. Mrs Lord and I then grabbed an Expedit shelf from Ikea, although not the same size as the one previously shown. I sense we will need another before too long. I have my 45s sealed in protective plastic sleeves and stored in a special box. All of this is in our den/music room.

Finally, the bulk of my Tiki and Space Age Pop genre LPs reside on one of those retro record racks from the 50s. It stands in the living room next to my vintage Magnavox turntable, which looks like a Danish Modern lamp table.

I won't even mention my cds or cassettes.

Finally got a pic of a couple of my shelving units.

Like I said before, I got these at Lowe's for about $50 each. That was a few years ago (three, maybe?), though. I guess they each hold around 1,000 LPs and they are Very Sturdy. I've had shelves that had to be reinforced beyond their original design before, and a few that have collapsed after a few years of strain. These bad boys are really tough.

Hi!

I too use the Ikea shelf. Each "square" will actually hold a milk crate. It is so perfect for LPs one might think it was actually made with us collectors in mind. When assembling it I left out the middle verticle piece in the top row, which now houses my turntable. Stability was not affected. I also attached two clip-on lights to the back so I can see the grooves perfectly.

Check out my Hawaiian vinyl collection at: http://blog.800x600.com/?p=62

JB

[ Edited by: 800x600 2006-04-19 15:44 ]