How to frame a vinyl record

Most people order a 12 x 12 frame for a record. Then the sleeve will not go in. A 12 inch LP sleeve is not 12 inches. It measures 12.375 x 12.375. That extra 3/8 inch causes more headaches than anything else we deal with on record orders.

The number everyone gets wrong

Go get a ruler and check your own sleeve. A standard LP sleeve is 12.375 x 12.375 inches. The black disc inside is 12 inches. A 7 inch single sits in a 7.25 x 7.25 inch sleeve.

So a 12 x 12 frame is too small. It will not close. We cut every frame to order in our New Jersey shop. Match the frame to the sleeve you measured, not to the 12 inch record inside it.

Some old sleeves have puffed up a little at the seams. Cardboard soaks up humidity over 40 years. If yours measures 12.5, order 12.5.

Decide what you want to show

There are four ways people do this. Pick one before you shop for a frame.

1. Sleeve only. Cleanest look, and it fits a 12.375 opening.
2. Sleeve and record side by side. You need about 24.75 x 13 inches.
3. Record alone, behind a mat with a round opening. The label shows through the hole.
4. Gatefold open flat. A gatefold spreads to about 24.75 x 12.375.

Number two is what people ask us for most. It also eats the most wall.

Never glue or tape the sleeve

We say this on the phone almost every week. Do not glue the sleeve to the backing. Do not tape it either. Not with double sided tape. Not with the glue stick in your desk drawer.

Tape leaves a stain. Glue rips the print off when you pull the sleeve back out. And you will pull it back out, because one day you will want to play the record.

The frame holds the sleeve for you. Backing pressure alone does it in a snug opening. If you want more hold, use archival corner supports or acid free mounting strips. Both come off clean.

UV acrylic is worth it on this one

Album art fades. The reds go first. Sleeves from the 60s and 70s used cheap ink. It was never meant to hang on a wall for 20 years.

UV acrylic blocks about 98% of the light that does the damage. It also weighs half what glass weighs, and it will not shatter if the frame comes off the hook.

Hanging it in a hallway with no windows? Plain acrylic is fine. Any wall with daylight, spend the extra.

Acid free backing, or a brown halo in five years

Plain chipboard backing has acid in it. It gives off more acid as it ages. That acid moves into whatever it touches, and old cardboard drinks it right up.

You get a brown edge first. Then a brown halo where the backing met the sleeve. It does not come out.

Acid free backing costs a couple dollars more. Every record frame we build ships with it. We do not treat it as an add on. It is just what goes in the box.

Clean the sleeve before it goes in

Whatever is on that sleeve gets sealed in for years. Dust, cat hair, a thumbprint from 1978, the sticker somebody peeled off wrong. You will see all of it once there is acrylic over the top.

Wipe the sleeve with a dry microfiber cloth. Go light. Skip the cleaner, and skip the damp rag. Old ink lifts.

Acrylic also builds up static, which pulls dust onto the inside of the sheet. Peel the protective film off right before you close the frame. Not the night before.

Use a shadow box if you want the record to sit proud

A flat frame presses the record against the sleeve. That works, and most people are happy with it.

A shadow box gives you depth. The record sits in front of the sleeve with a real shadow under it. It stops looking flat. Our shadow boxes run 3/4 inch to about 2 inches deep. For a record on a sleeve, 1 inch is plenty.

Depth costs you wall clearance. A 2 inch box stands off far enough that you notice it walking past. Go look at the spot before you order.

Sun and heat warp real records

Vinyl starts to soften near 140 F. A frame on a wall with hard afternoon sun can get there in July. We have seen a record come back with a wave in it.

So, four rules:

• Keep it off any wall that gets hours of direct sun.
• Keep it away from radiators and baseboard heat.
• Do not hang it over a working fireplace.
• If the only good wall is the sunny one, frame the sleeve alone and leave the record in the crate.

Honestly, a first pressing you care about should not go on a wall at all. Buy a beat up second copy and frame that one. They run a few dollars on Discogs.

What we would order

Say you have one LP and one empty wall, no strong opinions. This is the build we would run.

• 12.375 x 12.375, cut to order
• Solid pine, 1 inch profile, black or natural
• UV acrylic
• Acid free backing
• No mat, because the sleeve is already the art

The frames we set up for this live in our vinyl record frames collection. Check the size options there against the sleeve you actually measured.

Questions we hear a lot

Can I still play the record after I frame it?

Yes, as long as nobody glued it down. The back of the frame comes off without tools. Slide the sleeve out and play the record. Put it back when you are done.

Do I need a mat for a record frame?

Usually not. The sleeve art runs to the edge and fills the frame on its own. A mat earns its spot when you frame a bare record and want a round opening around the label. It also helps a 7 inch single hold a bigger wall.

What size frame do I need for a 7 inch single?

7.25 x 7.25 for the sleeve. The disc itself is 7 inches. Plenty of people group four singles in one frame instead. That lands around 15.5 x 15.5 with mat borders between them.