How To: DIY Vinyl Record Storage Bowls

Here's a really simple way to create storage on the cheap and breath new life into something at the same time!

I stumbled upon this idea whilst rummaging through my local charity shops a few weeks ago. It's simple and quick to do, and the result is pretty interesting, as well. So, without further ado...

You will need:
• A vinyl record (I find that 10 inch works best, as smaller records tend to just warp instead of taking on the shape of your bowl)

• An oven

• An oven-safe bowl (the ‘taller’ your bowl, the better, - or, if you'd like to make your record into a 'dish' shape instead, a shallower bowl would be best)

• Oven gloves

• A sharpie or similar marker (optional)

Step 1 

Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius and chose your record while you wait. Check on E-bay first, just in case you do something sacrilegious and ruin a classic (As a side note, I do apologise if anything by Slim Whitman is a masterpiece in your opinion, but at least it’s not just sat around collecting dust anymore!)

Step 2 

Turn your bowl upside down, and place your chosen record on top of it, in the centre. This will help the record to take on the ‘bowl’ shape once it begins to warp.

If you want to be more precise with this step, you can mark the centre of your upturned bowl with a sharpie (or something similar) first, so that when you come to place the record on top of it, you have a guide to help you align it through it’s hole in the centre.

Step 3

 Carefully place your bowl and record in the oven and leave for about 1 minute. It shouldn’t take long - if you have a window in your oven, you can watch it take shape, if not, keep a close eye on the time.

Step 4

 Using oven gloves, take your bowl and record out of the oven. Don’t separate them just yet - quickly place them on a safe surface and, whilst wearing your oven gloves, press down on the record around the bowl and wait for it to cool. Alternatively you could push a larger bowl than the first down on top of it and leave it to set that way.


Once the vinyl has set, you should be left with your DIY record bowl! Each one should turn out a little differently. They're not the neatest looking things and they might not be to everyone's tastes, but if you're feeling thrifty, give it a go!