Onward with the weekly hack challenge – where each week I have to hack an item and upcycle it into something completely new, typically decor related. I’m so tickled with how last week’s project of the DIY solar paper lamps went, and I’m also excited about this week’s project: an upcycled DIY record side table!
I’ll be honest – I had a completely different idea for this week originally, but I was having trouble at the hardware store finding screws with the right threading, the right head and the right length that I needed for that other project .. I must admit, I never thought I’d have such specific requests out of a screw, but it was what I needed. The guy at the hardware store was baffled by my request. Soooo, long story short, I’ll need to take a different approach with that project, and I put it off for a different week. And instead I came up with and idea that is MUCH simpler … ridiculously easy, in fact. Which I’m guessing would be preferable to me sending you on a project that calls for you to baffle the hardware store with your request for a certain kind of screw! So here we go with the simple (but still kinda spiffy, in my opinion, anyway) project for this week…
For this project you will need:
‣ ‣ ‣ a vinyl lp record. Make sure it is one that you don’t mind “destroying”, for all listening purposes, anyway. You can often pick up some old records at thrift stores for about a dollar.
‣ ‣ ‣ a planter stand. Preferably in black, to match the record. Also, make sure it in not wider at the top than your record’s width. For instance, for a 12 inch record, I used a planter stand that was 10 inches wide at the top.
‣ ‣ ‣ a glue gun.
You’ll only need the record, not the cover. But if it has interesting cover art, you don’t have to toss it! I think vintage albums make an interesting decor feature! Like this:
But back to the table! Instructions:
1. Wipe down the record with a damp paper towel – chances are if it’s vintage, there may be a good bit of dust trapped in the grooves. Clean both sides, then wipe gently with a dry cloth. Make sure it’s dry before attaching to the table.
2. Heat up your hot glue gun.
3. Once the hot glue gun is ready to use, apply an even line of hot glue all along the entire top edge of the planter, where the record will sit.
4. Promptly place the record on top of the planter while the glue is still hot. Be careful to place it so that it is centered – you don’t want to scoot it around to get it in the right position after it has come in contact with the glue.
(I tend to eyeball things, but if you’re not comfortable with eyeballing it, before you heat up your glue gun, subtract the width of the top of planter from the width of the record, then divide that in half, and the result will be the amount of overhang the record should have. (ie, 12 inch record – 10 inch planter = 2 inches. Divided in half makes it 1 inch of overhang all around.) On the underside of the record, measure that far in from the edge in a couple of spots, and mark at that point. Then, when placing the record on the planter, watch from underneath as you place it, and line up your markings so they land directly on the glue, and your record will be centered.)
5. Let the glue cool and harden – and you are done! Super easy.
All that is left to be done is to find the perfect spot for your new little little piece of upcycled furniture to sit! :)
Hope you enjoyed this project idea! Records are great for projects, there are tons of things you can make with old records.
Have you ever upcycled a record?
And I’m curious – do you prefer easy projects like this, or more time intensive/elaborate projects that involve power tools like a miter saw, for example?
Leave your thoughts and comments below, I love to hear from you! :)
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WHOAU April!
it look so cool!!! and it’s completely in style with the chair on the photo!!!
i’d like to see a little more complicate project, but in the end i know that it will be more easy to find time and things for do easy project like that!
Thanks, Fede! Yeah, I’m planning to have kind of a mix of some projects that are simple and some projects that are more complicated – so it’s very helpful to know that people like some of both!
I love it when a good, strikingly simple idea suddenly comes up —so satisfactory! Of course, I don’t shy away from an “intensive” project either…
I like your bookshelf, by the way! ;)
Thanks! I love that book shelf too … I enjoy antiques, and I enjoy books – so it is right up my alley! :) And thanks for the feedback – I’m planning to do a mix of level of projects … I’m thinking the more complicated ones will come a little later in the series, when I’ve had more time to fully figure them out, haha :)
That is the coolest project! I wonder if I can make it in time for my hubby’s birthday.
He would love it :)
Thanks for sharing!
via EBT
Thanks Duni! :D Yeah it didn’t even occur to me as something guys might like – its a good point! :)
What an original idea! I think I own about 300 vinyl records!
Wow, that’s quite a collection! I have several – but I wasn’t willing to part with any of mine, so I grabbed one at the thrift store. :)
Hmm, I’m thinking I could make one of these for my Dad… Great idea!
And since you asked, I’m totally a fan of easy DIYs. I don’t always have time for something elaborate, but I still like to put things together.
Nice – you’re the second person to mention it as a gift for guy … I hadn’t even thought of that! Love it. :) And thanks for the feedback … I know I sometimes see cool complicated projects but think to myself, “That’s so neat. Too bad I don’t have time for it!” Whereas a quick project I’m more likely to actually do it. I’ll probably have a mix of both here, but personally, I like the easy projects, haha :)
What a cool idea! Love it, it would be great in a music/media room! Thanks for sharing!
Ooh, good idea, Trina! I’m loving all the ideas people are posting about how they would use it. Thanks! :)
My mother has a bunch of vintage records in the living room as part of her decor, and an idea like this would definitely go with the room’s theme. I’ll have to show it to her. Thanks for sharing, this is FABULOUS.
Great! :) I’m so glad you like it, Lacey! :)
This is such an awesome idea and so simple! Thanks for sharing.
That is so cute!!! I love that. I have a bunch of records and would love to try this. I prefer simple projects myself, but I eventually make them more complicated than they need to be. :)
Super cute, April! I’m thinking I would flip the whole thing upside and down and coat it with lots more glue–um, not that it would need it, but…GLUE! Play time! Hehe!
Because I work, am in college, married w/two kids, I prefer easy DIY projects :-) I love this idea! Is there a way to protect the record from potential scratches from vases, cat claws, children, etc?
Sure, you could always cover the top of the record in some sort of sealant/glue/varnish if you’re concerned about scratching. :)
Love this! I have two of these plant stands but they are not in good condition – the plastic coating is cracked and flaking off. But, if I can fix them up I will give this a shot! Thanks,
Maddy
Update: just made one! I removed the cracked powder coating and spray painted the stand gloss black and got a record for $1.99 at a thrift store. Now i have somewhere for my iPod dock (I love that the table is musically themed too). Thanks again!
Fun!! And thanks for letting me know you made it – that is so neat to hear!! :D
This is such an awesome idea! I wonder how durable it is, if the table falls over…will it crack? It can hold up enough weight too? If I wanted to make it more sturdy with something under it like super-thin plywood then the glue would probably still work? (can you tell I have kids?? haha)
Thanks! As far as if it would crack … if it just topples, records aren’t that fragile, so I don’t think it would crack. I think it would be more likely that the record would come unglued if it got a really hard hit. As far as holding enough weight – I guess it depends on how much is “enough” weight. This little side table is fairly small, I don’t know that you would really want to put something really heavy on such a small table. If you wanted to make it sturdier, as far as the record itself, to keep it from bending/bowing from weight, you could glue together maybe 2 or 3 records for the top, instead of just one. Or, like you said, you could add another layer of something else. You can see from my photos kind of the “weight” I was putting on it. But the thing about a project like this is that it’s so simple, if something were to happen to it, you could pretty easily fix it or just make another. :)
I don’t know how sturdy those planter things are, but do you think it would work to put an old mismatched plate on one? I don’t know how the glue would hold, either…. Love the record idea though!
I guess it depends on the planter you get, but I don’t know if I would put something glass on top. Maybe a pretty metal plate/charger/round tray, though?
Speaking of DIY projects made of vinyl records, I’ve made bowls out of melted vinyl records. Here’s the blog I lifted the idea off:
http://www.starsforstreetlights.com/2012/01/diy-vinyl-record-bowls.html
Fun, thanks for sharing! :)
Hi April! Stopping by for the first time, Lovely place you have here! I have enjoyed perusing many of your posts and getting to know you a bit :)
Kindly, Lorraine
Thanks for stopping by, Lorraine, and for your kind words! :D
this is a great idea and the end result looks lovely. may i ask where’d you get this particular plant stand?
Thanks! :) Sure, I got it as Big Lots. It was about 5 or 6 dollars. :)
This is one LP that I wouldn’t mind getting scratched! Really cute project – I’ll make sure to share with Blue Velvet Chair readers…we love all things recycled and repurposed!
Mike
Oh my gosh I LOVE this! How creative and cute!
Brooke
Love the idea ! My mother would put the albums or 45s in the back window of our car . The heat from the sun (we lived in the south) will make the record soft . She would then shape it into a bowl. We used them for fruit. This was probably n the late 50’s early 60’s .
What a great idea of how to soften the records! Thanks for sharing :)
I AM IN LOVE!!! I cannot wait to make this!! OH YEA! I am soo excited these would be perfect in my room!! YES! I am over the moon right now :) This project just made it to the top of my DIY list! I am so glad I found this and that u created this.
Okay, this gives me an idea of what to do with that hair metal record that is so scratched it can’t play anymore, aside from using it to make jewelry… And it also makes me want to go ahead with that lamp I have planned from an old Pringles can.
Fun ideas! :)
i was curious…where do you find a planter stand like that??? i really really want to make this for my friend for her wedding shower. she’s gonna love it as much as i do!!!
I got mine at Big Lots for about $5, but I bet you could pick them up at Lowe’s, Home Depot, Walmart, garden shops … places that have home/garden centers.
Great easy craft! Instead of hot glue, you might try Loc-Tite Power Grap (clear). It is the BEST adhesive we have used, and it doesn’t dry as fast as hot glue.
Great tip, thanks! :)
Loc-Tite Power Grab!!!
I love this idea. I was thinking maybe put some clear contact paper over the label of the record to preserve that, especially if it is a really cool band.
I love this! And I happened to score two of these little plant stands last week. They need a coat of paint and I couldn’t decided on a color but I really wanted to do something more interesting than leave them as plant stands!
This will do the trick! Some LPs have bright labels. A bright red label would look good on a red stand. I want to find a red label and a yellow label to go with the black albums.
Your record is still very shiny, but these scratch pretty easily and I wonder how quick it would scar. I wonder if a clear acrylic sealer would protect it from scratches.
I can’t wait to do this! I’ll post pix on my blog and fb page when I get them done. Thanks so much for sharing!
Now I need to check out your other projects!
Jan
This is sooooo cool..First time on here & I’m totally love it,Thank’s keep up great jobs..Bless you
Because i fell in love with your project and your post, i repost it at my decoration blog!!
it’s really amazing, cool, beautifull, and you really make my day!!!
congrats and for your site too! Very friendly !!
http://studio34e.blogspot.com/2012/05/diy-vinyl-record-table.html#comment-form
Best thing ever!! This looks awesome
I have about 50 old lp,s. Would love to hear more ideas on how to upcycle them. Also I like the simple side cause I am disabled. Have little use of my left arm and hand. Granddaughter helps me with my projects.
LOVE LOVE LOOOOOOVE this!! I am a working mother of 2 children: one 16 year old and one 4 month old – I absolutely appreciate super duper easy DIY projects like this!! Not only is this amazingly simple, it’s cheap, functional, AND fashionable. I’m amazed. Please do continue to introduce easy peezy ideas such as this for the simpletons like me. I’m a new fan! :)
High five and God bless!
:)
http://longplayingart.blogspot.it/
:)
My first time to your website from inspiration & realisation website I get via email. I love, love, love this because so often I look at these cool ideas and think “where am I gonna find those supplies and when will I get the time to shop.?” But in this case I have an in-house example of the base as I use a couple similar plant stands as food stands for our two greyhounds. So, I know exactly where to get another and will not mind stopping at my neighborhood thrift store to pick up an album. I’m gonna see if anyone comes over and comments on it. Then make one for them as a gift. Thanks so much. I’ll have to sign up for your blog posts!
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Absolutely love this idea! I found an old Willie Nelson record and did as you described, unfortunately the hot glue slightly melted/warped the record leaving an awkward ring around the top. I’ll be trying again with super glue. Thanks for the great idea!
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Very nice post. I certainly love this site. Keep it up!
Very clever idea! When I ‘ll find a stand like this I;m gonna make one too… thank you!
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Since you are using such a light-weight base, you could lay the record down, place the stand upside-down on it and mark the circle once you have it centered. This way the weight of the base would help the bond.
You could also glue the record to one of those pre-cut circles of wood (or do your own) which would give you other options for attaching it to a base. And the possibility of making a fancy edge.
Or, glue four or five records in a stack, I think that would make a cool looking edge, and it would be less likely to break if the table got tipped over.
I would definitely Mod Podge or spray poly over at least the center label.
How about also using the album cover on a table top somehow? Even if you put it on a square table, the two would go together nicely, I think.
You are so interesting! I do not suppose I have read something like this before.
So good to discover somebody with a few original thoughts on
this subject. Seriously.. many thanks for starting this up.
This website is something that is required on the web, someone with a little originality!
I love this. I am making one for me and each of my sisters. Any more record ideas. I have a ton of these.
I love it, I made a click out of an old record!! Just added the clock pieces through the hole!! So much fun:)
This is a great idea, I have thousands of records and they don’t sell we’ll but I think I could easily sell them for 10-20 using this great idea
I wish that I could post a photo on here of my daughter’s music room. I’m totally going to be making her one of these neat little tables! Thank you so much for sharing this idea!
I love this idea and was thinking of making it for a friend for her b-day. I’m thinkin she’s gonna want it outside on the pool deck though. Any ideas for weather proofing it? Would I just spary something on it? Thanks!
could I use those cheap Ikea stools instead?
Perfect idea.Thanks
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Great idea. Wouldn’t the record get scratched and look scratched after awhile? Is there anything that could coat the top of record to prevent scratches?
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