Hang Up Your Old Vinyl Records!

A few months ago I came across a huge load of my dad's old records and decided to hang them up on an empty wall in my room. I first tried using tacks on the outside of the record sleeve to hold them in place which failed miserably. Next, I tried using "Earthquake" antique and glassware putty and woke up with a pile of records on top of me that had fallen overnight. Finally, I went off to Home Depot and found someone who kind of knew what they were talking about.....

Step 1: Getting The Tile Trim

At Home Depot I found an employee who recommended using some plastic tile trim for the project. So, I picked up about ten pieces of 1/4" x 6' of QEP Black Plastic Tile Trim: http://www.qep.com/index.php?q=node/381 , which ended up running me only about $30, much cheaper than any of my other options. The tile trim also has very convenient holes which I put standard wall screws through to hang the trim.

Comments

[mtryon]

Thanks for the great idea! I took a slightly different approach using cheap $5 trim pieces and notching a small section down the middle of each (using a table saw) to hold the albums in place

[wpool666]

This is such a genius idea, I was looking for a solution to hang all my records on my bare walls, But I would like to incorporate all my band flyers as well as the vinyl itself, It's all Punk and Hardcore, mostly from the 80's, thanks buddy, this is so perfect of an idea, I thought my last option was going to be small nails, AMAZING!

[bjornh]

Thanks for the inspiration. I used cap molding to hang my records, which I got at Home Depot for $2.87 per 8' piece. I nailed the molding strips to my dry wall with 3/4" zinc wire nails. The album covers slide into the rail. They fit better if you remove the record from the album. I also used removable glue dots as extra measure to keep the album cover against the wall.

[kwelsh2]

Hi
I was very excited to find this instructable and even more excited when I went to my hardware store and they were only $6.20 for a 2500mm length. Can't wait to get an extra pair of hands to help me hang 5 rows of it above my lounge. After that I am going to tackle the same type of thing for my cassette tapes just using a wider tile trim which I spied when I was at the store. Has anyone mounted the trim to a board first and then hung the board to limit the number of screw holes into the wall? Just curious because I thought I might do it that way. Cheers heaps for the idea.

[jm728]

Hey! Just completed our album art wall using this instructable and totally love it!! Thanks for the great idea!

[iop23]

Is there another way without have to drilling the wall?

[gerdarules]

Thanks for the great idea, I redid the design a little bit to make it easier to play the records that are on display.

[togepi258]

For this, did you just use the same tile trim, but only on the bottom? I'm thinking of doing this instead. Thank you =)

[mga12]

Great instructable! I didn't have as much wall space so I cut the tile trim in half and only did three rows but I think it turned out pretty sweet!

[ratch333]

So where did everyone get the trim? I went to home depot last night and they didnt have the kind that was in the instructions above. Any help would be greatly appreciated. The trim seems perfect but If all else fails, I guess the ikea option is all I have left.

Thanks!

[Koelker12]

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100122327/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

I used this stuff. It was in the aisle with all the tile, grout and mixes, on the very end.

You could always use their store check to see if they have any in stock first

[Koelker12]

Hey man, I just wanted to say thanks, this was a great idea and I just did it in my apartment. Here's a pic.

[tdogg241]

Hey, where did you get the tile trim? I asked about it at Home Depot and got a blank stare. What they showed me doesn't seem like it'll work; it's pretty different from what's shown in the instructable.

[Koelker12]

I used this stuff
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100122327/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

It was in the same aisle as the tile, grout and stuff. At mine it was right on the very end of the row.

[tcoatsworth]

i have wanted to hang my vinyl albums (300) on my wall for years....this idea was brilliant.....worked perfectly..except i had to use a 10mm piece of "tile edging above each album to stop them tipping forward........not too much trouble....two lengths of "tile edging"...a tube of "grip fill"....spirit level...tape measure and a pencil...£10 the lot...looks great.....and i can change them any time.....and i done the same for my cd's (500)....just used a bigger tile edge......

[Rivalee Redesign]

Great solution! I did a similar project but really wanted to be able to take out the records and play them easily, so I used two pieces of trim to build out a little ledge so that they lean back just enough not to need a top rail. Plus that let me paint the trim because I love color - just don't paint the inside of the rail so that your record sticks to the paint over time!!

[snelpiller]

I also wanted to be able to get to my records easily, I see you used trim, I bought my shelfs at IKEA x)

they are very thing tho, only sticking out about 6cm

[rockgardner]

Records are more than just the material they're made from, much like books are more than just paper and ink. Please respect the potential value of what you may be destroying. And by value, I don't mean monetary value. Great efforts are being made by many people to locate and preserve rare and nearly extinct recordings. This is for archival purposes, not for profit. Where would we be if we had used the musical transcripts of our classical forfathers for paper mache'? So please do your research. And if you're one with a valuable collection, please inform your loved ones or note it in your will. And fyi, there is a rebirth of interest in vinyl recordings, both new and old. More new recordings were sold on vinyl in the past ten years than since the 80's.

[mrb400]

Thank you!

[rudykazoo48046]

Very interesting!

[TabbyDeAnne]

This is a great idea! I have a collection of about 300+ records (I love the sound of records) and have put them in the record frames which holds only one at a time. I have been looking for a way to display my favorites and this is a fantastic starting point for me! Wonderful job! It looks easy to slide out a record if I want to listen to it. Awesome!

[xtian5]

...and then your dad walks in and says, "Oh my god! What the f--- did you do with my records!"

[verdilicious]

i really want to try to find a way to do this where i can easily take my records down to play them.  i've been trying to think of a way even before i found this instructable, but i cannot seem to come up with any good ideas.  how long does it take you to get a record out if you need to?

[vinyl_rhino]

This is awesome, I've been trying to think of a way to get my records on the wall without damaging the covers, I think I may try this. One question though. Does this leave "track" lines on the top and bottom of the album cover? It seems like if the tile trim is really tight, it would leave a little indentation in the album cover.

[mga12]

I tried it and the trim isn't too tight that it would leave a mark, the tile trim actually seems like the perfect thing for the job.

[jonesygirl07]

Awesome wall! I have the actual lps on my wall randomly placed and every time some one walks into the living room they are always impressesd. And i have several "worth money" lps but with the sentemental value behind them i could never sell them for any amount of money lol. I think it is cool to hold on to these records not only cuz they are from a past generation but to keep that era of music alive. there will never be that kind of music again :(

[artist without a medium]

Awesome...We made our own Tiki Bar a while back. Have over 150 Tiki mugs, sets of salt-n- pepper shakers, coconut monkeys, wooden tikis, etc., and around 25 records so far. Framed 4 of the records just for the art of the Covers (frames cost around $10.00 each unless found on sale). But couldn't afford 20 more frames, and it's a pain if you want to actually listen to them to remove from frame everytime. So I'll definenately be using your idea soon. Thanks

[liquifury]

This is awesome! Thanks! I have been looking for a way to hang all my 80's hair bands LP's on my wall. Cheap and easy way to put them up! Now it is just convincing my wife it looks good ;-)

[beahelf]

This is cool! I also have had success with J-Rail for siding and end caps for paneling. These come in longer Lengths for longer walls and they come in Colors as well as wood grain.

[eter]

Great idea, I have many off the orig. Beatles / Grand Funk / James Taylor / etc. just sitting in a box in the basement collecting dust. This will be a great way to display. The wife and I may have a spat or two where I am going to hang it, may be in the basement. Thanks again for sharing.

[BuzzKilling]

This post made me signup to comment. Then as if the site knew why, I see this box telling me to be nice. So I will be nice. A quick trip to the used record store will get you that entire wall for about $20. There is nothing there that stands out as being worth anything. You dont know if those are even first pressings. People love to say nay. Thats a great thing to do with those albums. It is so common to think that because something was made before you were born, its worth something. If anyone wants to buy large crates of 78's from the early 1900's by all means get in touch. Nice job with the wall. All good bands, good albums, nothing collectible there. No worries.

[bonzo363]

To BuzzKilling: Well, thanks for the comment! I'm glad you like what I did with the wall. Also, in terms of the value of the records, for me it's about the stories behind them because my dad purchased them when he grew up. I honestly don't care about the actual dollar value worth of them, but I I'm fairly sure my collection is worth more than $20. On another note, you berating the other commenters about not knowing the value of the records I tend to find a bit rude. What I find really rude though is that you are spamming my Instructable with an ad for your old records. Save that stuff for a collector's site or eBay.

[janeoblivian]

He's right about those albums in your photo. Not worth much more than $20. Go to any used record store and they are going to have an excess of these albums. Value is all about rarity. ($$ value, of course, not sentimental). Anywho, I like your 'structable. I'm probably going to try it in my new apartment... but what a pain it'll be if I want to play one of them! :) maybe just a single row will work for me.

[Jeremy B]

Very cool. I have been looking for a cheap effecttive way to display all my old record covers, and buying a bunch of frames was just out of the question ($). Thanks for the tip!

[Trans_Am]

All those wonderful albums... sitting... wasted. People would pay good money for those records.

[bumpus]

they aren't necessarily wasted, he turned them into a Vinyl Quilt of sorts, instead of having them sit in a box somewhere collecting dust. lemon-aid outta lemons

[wolfmanthe]

I've been looking for a way to do this. Excellent albums by the way.

[drummonkey92]

wow ur dad has great taste in music

[Patrik]

Very nice solution! One thing you may want to consider is some kind of plastic sleeves, so the covers don't get bleeched by the light. Even if they don't get direct sunlight, just a few months of exposure can make a significant difference in the intensity of teh colors...

[bonzo363]

Wow, thanks for the comments everyone! Sorry, but any of the records you see are NOT for sale and will not be anytime soon.