We've teamed up with Cassie Fairy again for another instalment of her upcycling magic. Last month she created the most amazing Lego Storage Playtable. This time she's rescued an old shelf/trolley and turned it into a fantastic retro storage unit for records.
Vinyl is making a comeback – although, if you ask some of us, it never went away! Nonetheless, you’re more likely to find an LP than a CD in the high street music stores these days. So, whether you’re a new collector or just need somewhere to stash your old classics, this project will give you space to keep your beloved vinyl stored safely away.
The neon effect harks back to the 80s and 90s and it’s an on-trend way to decorate any piece of furniture. If this style isn’t for you, you can still create the LP storage unit of your dreams with just a coat of paint and the addition of a magazine rack, record rack or dish rack.
Choosing a low-level shelving unit means you can have a dedicated space for your record player and, if it has speakers, these can be positioned on the shelf below. If, like our record player, it has built-in speakers, you can use the spare shelf to proudly display the record you’re currently playing.
You will need:
Old shelving or storage unit
Primer spray paint
Black spray paint
Neon paint
Cleaning sponge with scrubber
LP, magazine or dish rack
Screws or hooks
Sticky-backed vinyl
Craft knife
Step 1
Dismantle the shelving unit and put all the fixings into a bag for later. Use a sponge with scourer to clean the metal sides of the unit with warm soapy water and scrub away any tarnished patches. Take the shelves outdoors to spray paint them with primer. Be sure to cover all sides and edges with a fine coat of primer. Allow to dry thoroughly.
Step 2
Pick a colour (we chose black to make the neon stand out) and give the shelves a coat of spray paint. It’s better to build up layers of spray paint rather spraying one thick coat, as this might cause drips as it dries. Allow each fine coat of paint to dry before adding another until the shelves are completely covered.
Step 3
If you want to create a splattered effect, choose three colours of paint (we picked neon pink, yellow and turquoise to follow the 90s trend) and use paint brushes and old toothbrushes to flick and splatter paint onto the shelves. If you want to create an on-trend galaxy effect, silver, blue and purple paint would work well.
Step 4
Use spray paint to upcycle an old LP rack, a magazine rack or a dish drying rack to hold the LPs. We chose a contrasting turquoise colour, but you could use a metallic spray paint or coordinate the rack to the rest of the unit with black paint.
Step 5
Reassemble the shelving unit using the fixings that you put aside earlier. Once the painted rack is completely dry, use screws or hooks to attach the rack to the bottom shelf of the unit. This will hold your LPs in an upright position, which is the safest way to store them.
Step 6
Finally, use a craft knife to cut out the words ‘now playing’ from sticky-backed vinyl. You can print out a template of the text on your computer and use it to trace out the font onto the back of the vinyl. Position the sticky text onto the shelf to provide a space to store the LP you’re currently listening to – this will remind you to put it away again afterwards, too!
We hope this project has given you some ideas for giving an old unit a quick makeover to create your very own LP storage cabinet at home. If you’ve got an ugly MDF unit stashed away in storage, this speckled paint effect can bring it up-to-date and add a splash of on-trend 90s style to any room. And, if you want to get the youngsters into music, we’re sure your teens will love having their own music centre in their bedroom!
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Discover more upcycling articles on Safestore’s blog where you may find inspiration. Or, if you’re looking to store some items which you may want to upcycle in future we have a range of self storage options in nearly 120 locations – find your nearest store for a quote today.