best practices for Long term vinyl record Display & storage
Over the years, we’ve spent a lot of time digging and a ton of consideration building our record collections. And while we may buy vinyl records for their stellar sound quality, or the multisensory experience of the medium, it’s not uncommon to collect a few records purely out of sentimental value too.
When certain albums catch our attention, whether for beautiful cover art, a unique color vinyl variant, or vivid memories of an intimate show, whatever the reason, sometimes we just want to display them out in the open instead of storing them away. Egotists might say “records don’t belong on display” but feel free to ignore the trolls – you do you.
Whether you want to play-and-display or you’re on a mission to mount an eclectic vinyl record wall in your home, we’ve got your back.
But what you might not realize while you are admiring that Neutral Milk Hotel album (or your own personal fave) when it’s up on the wall or out in the open, is that your album sleeve and the vinyl record itself are both fighting against a pesky destroyer called... gravity.
Thankfully, we’ve got your back here too. But it’s important to understand why long term display of records comes with caution.
The Weight Of The Warp
Gravity is an amazing (and terrifying) thing. When you’re a record collector, it shows up in many forms, affecting both the record and the album cover. If you don’t pay close attention, gravity wins. Every. Single. Time.
Vinyl records weigh more than we realize. That weight can easily translate to a warped cover, or worse off, a warped record. The most common way to show off a record is leaning it against the wall or propping it up on a shelf. This does a disservice in two ways:
1. The more an album leans, the greater chance for it to start bending and warping.
2. The album cover will begin to sag and bow or even become unshapely if left for too long.
There are of course ways to fix a warped record and flatten out your album covers, but let’s try and keep our vinyl properly stored in the first place so gravity can’t begin to work its black magic. We have to be mindful of a few best practices when storing or displaying our records.
Pretty please. Don’t do this.
Avoiding the Leaning Tower of Vinyl
Let’s get the biggest atrocity out of the way. If your records are horizontally stacked on top of each other in a box, in the corner of your living room, or anywhere else, STOP. Stop reading this immediately and go turn those records upright.
Records should not be made into leaning towers of vinyl. However easy or tempting it may be to start stacking, every record you place on top of another record adds weight, and when the tower shifts, it opens up opportunities to scuff those record covers and the records themselves.
The higher the stack, the more room for damage. Don’t risk creating rings, creases, or general wear and tear. Don’t risk transforming amazing album art into a regular old piece of cardboard. Worst of all, don’t risk your records getting scratched or broken, because there is no coming back from a crack in the stack.
Let Your Albums Breathe!
Letting records breathe without too much lean
As summer heatwaves sneak in, those of us who live in humid climates know the savage effects of heat and moisture, and it’s no surprise that to stay in tip-top shape, our records need room to breathe.
If you keep your records stored vertically on the shelf, give them some breathing room by ensuring they’re not smashed too tightly together. This helps avoid the compression of the record sleeves.
Similarly to the above, make sure albums don’t lean too much or we once again risk warp and scratches. Letting our collections breath allows them to avoid excess humidity, keeping them pristine no matter the season. AND bonus points – it makes it easier to browse the collection. For even better protection from the elements, invest in high quality inner and outer sleeves too.
If you’re thinking about displaying records on your wall, keep them out of any direct sun rays (indirect light is perfectly fine) because the exposure to direct sun will risk increased heat on the record, potentially leading to warp, and the UV light will cause the album cover to fade more quickly than we might realize.
Car record players… it was a real thing. We can’t make this shit up.
Speaking of heat and sunlight, when you pick up new albums from your favorite local record shop, don’t leave records in your car for too long. Try to make record shopping your last stop of the day, especially during summer months, and get those records back inside for safekeeping. Unless your car has a record player of course.
Making The Most Of Any Vinyl Record Storage Method
Record Props display vinyl vertically on the wall with support at the center of the record where it’s most stable.
One of the reasons we created Record Props was to help manage all of the above risks when it comes to displaying vinyl records. We keep the album cover naturally flat and vertical against the wall, and when the record itself is on display, it’s perched in a vertical manner by the most stable part of itself by design – the center hole.
No matter your choice of storage or display, here are a few extra tips on how to keep your records in the best shape possible.
Vertical Shelf Storage: If you keep your records stored vertically on shelves, try to find a happy medium – somewhere between being “smashed together” and being “so loose they’re practically falling over on each other.” It’s not rocket science, but far too often we see records leaning on harsh angles. Keep those records upright! The goal is this: As upright as possible, without falling backwards.
Wall Display: If you’re keeping a few records out on display, avoid the sagging and bowing with one of the following methods:
Cover Your Albums: The most protective thing we can all do to keep album covers pristine is insert them into outer sleeves. Outer sleeves come in a wide array of thicknesses and clarity. Our personal fave is Diskeeper’s Ultimate Outer 5.0 for their extreme sturdiness and crystal clarity (check it out here on Amazon). You won’t find any clouding with these covers. And if you prefer not to go to this extent for every single album in your collection (you’re not alone), try the following…
Cascade albums to help avoid bowing naturally.
Cascade your albums: Try cascading your albums so that they overlap one another just a bit. This will help keep those covers naturally pressed flat. Unfortunately, there will always be one outlier in front. You can place a new, unopened album in front, or any album that still has its shrinkwrap intact (or once again, an outer sleeve).
Clasp your covers: If you only have one album on display, try using a rubber-coated paper clip or similar lightweight clasp to prevent an album cover from opening too widely when gravity sheds its ugly face.
Paper clips come in all colors so you can even match the album cover if you’re OCD like us. AND bonus points again – colored paper clips are typically made with rubber coating which will help prevent damage or scuffing on the album cover. Just unbend (loosen) the clip before applying. They are super minimal and act as a perfect companion to keeping covers closed and free of any bowing or sagging, which in the long term adds stress to the cover.
An unclasped album on display for 24 hours.
Carefully clasped shut at the opening edge.
Don’t Forget To Play.
All in all, we’re aiming to take great care of our records so they can be around for as long as we are, or passed onto future generations too. Just don’t forget, records are meant to be played, handled and enjoyed.
If your records are suspended effortlessly on your record display wall, or placed vertically with room to breathe, there’s no crushing, no gravitational pull, no problem. And when the day comes when you want to begin working on a vinyl record wall display, we’re here to help you get that shrine underway.
Keep spinnin’ yall.
