Enhancing a bookshelf with stylish bookends can create a clean, cohesive, and organized look. While utilitarian metal bookends from the store serve their purpose, decorative ones, like fun brass animal statues or elegant marble busts, can inject significant personality into your space. Surprisingly, some of the best bookend solutions might already be in your home or easily acquired from thrift stores. For example, vinyl records can be transformed into eye-catching bookends on a budget with just a bit of heat. In a recent episode of “The Drew Barrymore Show,” HGTV’s Erin Napier demonstrated how to craft these unique bookends in just minutes.
This offers a fantastic chance to upcycle old vinyl records (or those you find secondhand) into a striking statement piece. Thrift stores, flea markets, and garage sales are often abundant with used vinyl records, many of which have scratches or damage making them unsuitable for playing or collecting. These flawed albums are perfect for creative home décor projects like these bookends. Not only do they look impressive supporting books (or other vinyl albums) on a shelf, but they can also serve various purposes around the home, such as organizing cutting boards to reduce kitchen clutter or managing handbags in a closet. You can leave them as is or enhance them with acrylic paint for added decoration.
How to Make Vinyl Bookends
To shape the record into a bookend, you’ll need to apply heat. Erin Napier demonstrated this by carefully pouring hot water from a kettle over the vinyl to soften it, making it pliable. By positioning a cutting board at the emerging crease, you can create a 90-degree angle. Once the vinyl cools, it will maintain the bent shape. Other methods to heat records include using parchment paper over the album and running an iron across it or employing a heat gun. Remember, the aim is to soften, not melt, the record. Ensure you’re working in a well-ventilated area and wear a respirator to avoid inhaling potentially harmful fumes.
There are numerous other creative uses for these reshaped vinyl records, and several ways to bend them to suit your needs. Besides bookends, you can create small wall-mounted bookshelves by bending the records in the center and securing them to the wall with screws. While they won’t hold a heavy stack, they are perfect for a few books. Thread some fishing line through small drilled holes between these makeshift shelves, anchoring the top end of the line to the wall for added stability. These shelves are also ideal for small items and plants, and their base can be adjusted to be wide or narrow, depending on your preference.
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