It can certainly seem as though there are more things dividing record collectors than bringing them together sometimes. These things might lie in differences in musical tastes and genres, preferences with regards to format, the kinds of turntables and record players, and even go down to the mix settings that one collector prefers over another’s. Record collectors are a picky bunch and are never hesitant to let others know their various preferences and biases.
There are certain things, however, that most record collectors can agree on. You would be hard pressed, for example, to find a collector who does not want to display records on wall. There is among many collectors, in fact, a real showmanship or bravado with regards to their collection, a need to exhibit the best and most prized items from their collections upon a wall for all visitors to see, regardless of whether they themselves are collectors or not.
Since this seems like such a primal thirst, a yearning that penetrates to the very pit of what it means to be a human and a collector of aged goodies, it seems also that it would be worth exploring. Thus today we will be exploring some of the possible options for you as a collector to display records on wall, or in crates, or frames, or shelves, or…
Vinyl Storage Crate
No vinyl record collector’s set up is quite complete without a place to hold their collection and to display them for the perusal of guests. This will ideally occupy pride of place in a record collector’s den, a place for each collector to exhibit their collection for all visitors to see. Very often, however, a collector’s collection will simply be too large for the space it is occupying. Finding a middle ground between proudly exhibiting one’s collection and economically storing records it all away can be a real pickle!
It is also a pickle trying to find a product that strikes this middle ground! Cue a wooden vinyl record storage crate. There can be found storage crates made of solid wood, made for the strict purpose of giving the record collection in question the just protection it deserves. The materials used mean these are usually built to last, and will be more aesthetically pleasing the older they get, thanks to the real wood finish, which, though it does not entirely display records on wall, certainly looks stylish all the while.
This strength goes hand in hand with a robustness offered by the inbuilt wheels that they often come with. Unlike other consumables for enthusiasts, these crates can often hold up to 100 LPs, even if they are equipped with plastic sleeves for extra protection. This is a massive weight to burden one’s back with, a strain that the inbuilt wheels can completely negate.
This kind of crate will not only allow record collectors to stylishly store a larger collection, but will also lend credence to the oft touted term ‘crate digging’. The owner of this fine wooden crate will indeed be crate digging every time they go looking for a record of theirs to spin.
Record Shelf
It is far better to store records upright than flat, for reasons pertaining to the sanctity of the disc. If utterly necessary, a record can be stored flat, though it should be avoided as much as you can help it, especially if you are looking to display records on wall. A record on its own might not feel heavy, but their weight certainly adds up, especially if we are talking about a whole collection!
Not only can this contribute to an excess of pressure on the records, but can also exacerbate the presence of any dust or dirt in the sleeves. Pressure is exerted on these grains of dirt, forcing scratches into the surfaces of these records. Typical solutions to this conundrum have users and enthusiasts leaning their collection up against a wall, with the records coming outwards from the wall towards the user.
Others include similar situations where the wall is used and leaned against. There are more commercial and consumable methods which involve purchasing a dedicated crate (a la crate digging) or weights which keep the records in place, though it is not at all necessary to involve yourself with such methods if you have a perfectly good wall free around the house.
Others include similar situations where the wall is used and leaned against. There are more commercial and consumable methods which involve purchasing a dedicated crate (a la crate digging) or weights which keep the records in place, though it is not at all necessary to involve yourself with such methods if you have a perfectly good wall free around the house, where you can display records on wall.
Shelf Unit
As an extension to your shelf or wall space, I might suggest a shelf unit like this! Alternative solutions like this offer a more bodacious and extravagant way for vinyl record collectors to display records on wall for all visitors to see, boasting an inherent utility while still being beautifully constructed. All of this while simultaneously allowing each individual record collector to exhibit their prized records however and in whatever order they so please.
Able to hold a panoply records, this strong and aesthetically pleasing display unit keeps a selection of your records close to hand and accessible, though never at the expense of the aesthetic and the visual elements which we are so concerned with today. Display units like this, however, limited to just 12 inch records, but can in fact hold anything you throw it at. 7 inch records, 10 inch records, 12 inch records, you name it, it will be ready and awaiting to embrace it with open arms.
Constructed from fine materials, a deep grooved base ensures that the records in question cannot accidentally slip or fall out, no matter what external vibrations they are subjected to.
There are also clear plastic ends, designed to take the weight of your albums, and their clear finish means that the beauty of the vinyl and vinyl stand is there for everyone to see! The black design means it will work with just about any combination of records you decide to throw at it, not to mention the location where you will display records on wall.
Vinyl Record Sleeves
Even without a display records on wall situation, this is something that ought to be ubiquitous among all record lovers. Where other items on this list are concerned with the display of the record, these polypropylene sleeves are more concerned with the preservation of the sleeve while it is being displayed.
This is an aspect oft neglected in the world of vinyl record collecting. Far too often, you will receive a record in the post or out in the wild, whose disc will be perfectly preserved but whose sleeve will look more like rags. So much of the experience of listening to and appreciating a record is in these sleeves, as well as of the display records on wall idea. Listening to a record properly, sitting back and holding the sleeve aloft like art. For that is what it is, and why album covers are referred to, by some, as album art.
Here is where polypropylene sleeves like this come in. You might have seen similar accessories on some or all of the records in your local record store. Too often, however, those used in record stores are murky and almost opaque. Fair enough, it would be pretty pricey to deck every record in the store with brand new high grade sleeves, though buying your own will be of major helping in the pursuit of display records on wall décor.
In this way you can easily and economically preserve the quality of the album art without sacrificing the act of marvelling at it from time to time. The best kind of record sleeves like this ought to offer explicit protection from UV radiation. All too often a record sleeve will be marred by distortion and fading, having been over exposed to the sun’s light. This will no longer be a concern if you choose to sheath your precious records in these polypropylene sleeves, able as you will be to display records on wall without fear of solar interference.
Record Frame
You really can’t go wrong with a record frame as a means to display records on wall. It gets to the very heart of what an album cover is: art. Not that it should need a frame to hammer home just how much of a piece of art an album cover can be, but it certainly helps.
Most interestingly, such interior design gestures blur the line between different types of art, turning a piece of album art explicitly intended for use on an album cover, and then placing it into a decidedly different context. Recontextualising any art in this way tends to have rather interesting results, and this is especially the case when framing and reframing and recontextualising a piece of album art from one of your favorite LPs.
The freedom is all there, and it is yours for the seizing! You can place whichever album literally wherever you like, granted you don’t have a pesky landlord counting the number of pin holes in the wall at the end of your tenancy of course (or maybe you are passed caring)! In this way, your favorite albums and favorite album art can be the focal point of a room’s design, directing the eyes and metaphysical ears of all guests who enter your domain.
Such record frames do not require you to be much of a whizz with a screwdriver or any other tool for that matter. Simply grab a hammer and some nails and drive them in, and the rest is all set up for you. Insert your choice of record into the frame itself, even including the disc if you do not intend to listen to it in the near future, close the frame and then mount it on the screws in the wall, and away you go! Goodbye blank unexciting wall, hello interior design kingdom!
Record Case
Storage cases like this strike an interesting balance between a display case and a record crate, and are inherently far more transportable ways to display records on wall. Holding a considerable number of LPs, even those in plastic sleeves, this is perfect for disc jockeys everywhere, as well as those simply looking to show off their records to visitors.
Often, such vinyl record cases can neglect a really key element, and that is the displaying itself. So, if you are indeed looking for a storage case that can do both then do make sure you are investing in the right case for you. This ought to be a sturdy case, one that isn’t going to topple over if opened, no matter how few records garner the insides.
However, this strength and sturdiness in design ought not translate to being cumbersome. The ideal vinyl record storage case is rugged and robust, designed in a flight style so as to be transported just about anywhere you can fathom. Likewise, its light weight and portability should not translate to a lack in strength.
It is all too often the case that records take a knock, particularly in the corners. A top vinyl record case ought to make sure to protect these corners, and will ideally be fitted with strong metal cappings. Thus, the edges, all too vulnerable usually, are rendered strong, all while still being more than comfortable to carry.
In terms of style, such record cases can come in any number of designs and varieties, ranging from more industrial metallic designs that are, by their very nature, going to better take a considerable knock or two, to more leatherette designs for those concerned with aesthetics. No matter which, it is hoped that each will be able to adequately display records on wall or thereabouts.
Gatefold Record Frame
As already elucidated, you really can’t go wrong with a record frame as a means to display records on wall. It confronts the very essence of what an album cover is: album art. Not that it should need such a frame to hammer home just how much of a piece of art an album cover can be, but it certainly helps those less inclined to agree off the bat to believe.
Record frames such as these do not require you to be a whizz with a screwdriver or any other tool for that matter. Simply grab a hammer or another blunt object and some nails and drive them into the wall: the rest will be all set up for you. Insert your choice of record into the frame itself, even the disc if you do not intend to listen to it anytime soon, close the frame and then mount it on the screws already in the wall, and there you have it! Say goodbye to your previously empty and uninteresting wall, and please welcome your new and beautiful focal point!
These kind of interior design gestures blur the line between different types of art, turning what was otherwise just a piece of album art intended merely for use on an album cover, and placing it into a different context like so. Recontextualising any art in this way tends to have rather interesting results, and this is especially the case when framing and reframing and understanding anew a piece of album art from one of your favorite LP’s gatefolds.
Often, this art is left to lurk within the folds of the album, only to be viewed upon listening, and then soon forgotten, hidden within these manifold folds and never let out to bloom among one’s own interior decoration, nor to come up as a choice when wanting to display records on wall.
The freedom is all there, and it is anyone’s for the seizing! You can indeed place whichever album’s gatefold artwork literally wherever you so wish, provided you don’t have a pesky landlord counting the number of pin holes in the wall at the end of your tenancy of course (or maybe you are passed caring), or a partner or housemate who disagrees massively with your taste! In this way, your favorite albums and favorite album art can be the epicentre of a room’s design, directing the eyes and metaphysical ears of all guests who enter your domain.
Single Record Stands
Finally, we have a method for displaying one’s record which, though it does not display records on wall, certainly goes the distance in artfully displaying records efficiently and stylishly. In this way, it really is an accessory that no record collector should be without.
Single record stands designed like the one below lend ever more credence to this, for they engraved with a ‘Now Playing’ sign, perfect for the domestic disc jockey who enjoys spinning discs for visitors without being constantly pestered to let the room know what exactly is spinning at every present moment.
There are others that are not engraved like this, and that are thus not aimed at fulfilling a more specific purpose. There are, in fact, single record holders that do just that: hold a single record for the display of its aesthetic qualities. This means that, much like a family photo on the mantlepiece, your favourite 12 inch and 7 inch record covers can be displayed for all to see, placing your love of records on a comparable plinth to your family members! Hopefully now they will get the message and leave you alone while you spin your discs!
Owing to their very nature, these single record holders do only hold – yep, you guessed it – one record, so their drawbacks ought to be pretty self evident, but they are designed for this specific purpose, so they cannot be got for this fact in my humble opinion. If this is something that will suit you, and something that will act as a suitable, apposite and otherwise dandy alternative to wanting to display records on wall, then by all means get buying!
Final Tones
So, there you have it! Hopefully you are somewhat the wiser on how you might like to display records on wall, or whether you want to at all in the first place. As should be plainly obvious, there are plenty of options to display your records about your listening environment, many, many routes that you can take to reinvent your personal space and render your listening experience and audiophilic journey just that much more sweet.
FAQs Display Records On Wall
How do you display vinyl records on the wall?
There are several different routes you can take to display records on wall. There are, for example, several different kinds of frame within which you can place a vinyl record sleeve, and which, with a little home maintenance know how, can be mounted firmly on a wall of your choosing. In a similar vein, there are small vinyl shelves that can hold several records, so that a collector can keep a choice selection to hand while simultaneously displaying them for all visitors to see. There is even, if the case arises, the option to just place your records on a convenient shelf, or even a small stand on a shelf for maximum visibility to visitors.
How do you hang records on a wall?
The central answers to this question tend to involve an external piece of home décor such as a frame or larger stand mounted to a wall. In most instances, these will come with instructions on how to set them up correctly. This will largely involve using a hammer or screwdriver (whether manual or electric) to drive a nail or some nails into a wall, on which will be mounted the frame or stand or shelf unit. Once the nail is in the wall, and you have followed the instructions carefully, all that should be left to do is place your choice of album(s) in the unit and then you can mount it on the wall!
