DIY Record Player & Vinyl Storage
Built-In Part 1
A good built-in always catches our eyes when watching home improvement shows, and we frequently wonder why our 113-year-old Dutch colonial only has two. When we moved in there was one in our boys’ room and one in our room. So, we added a custom IKEA Ivar setup, a custom built-in in the kitchen, and one in the dining room.
The latter is a big part of our latest upgrade — the dining room. Since we’ve moved in, it’s gotten new floors, white paint, and a mini split that cools are first floor. But, in the three years we’ve lived here, it’s had many lives — a lounge space, an arts and crafts/play space, a workout/art room, and now back to its original purpose, a dining room.
After Christmas 2023, we moved our ultimate Chicago Facebook Marketplace find, the 250 lb+ vintage grey metal credenza, into the space. We finally committed to changing it up by painting it a bright yellow for a fun pop of color. A couple days after, Katie’s parents were visiting our local Restore store and found a perfectly-sized marble slab countertop (to hide a cracking top) for only $81! With its new color and new top, it was time to breathe an even more new life into the piece and space — make it into our dream built-in.
After two weeks of designing, thinking of every component’s measurement, we looked everything over. A couple of tweaks were made and then it was onto the mockup phase. Mike made a box to the size we thought we wanted, but then when it was put in its spot, we realized everything needed to be scaled up.
The first thing Mike built was a three-compartment cabinet to house our record player and vinyls. He used a combination of pocket holes and rabbit joinery to construct the record cabinet. He then added 3/4 inch by 3/4 inch trim to the face of the cabinet to give it a more finished look, and used Rubio Monocoats Pure on the sides to bring out the wood. He also stained the 3/4 inch trim Rubio Monocoats Intense Black to add a little contrast.
Completing the entire process from idea to custom piece, we’re both incredibly proud. The juxtaposition of this piece next to the first-ever DIY project Mike ever completed (refinishing our dining room table) showcases the true evolution of Mike’s skills.
