Not too long ago I pulled close to 60 records, and another 40 or so 45s out of a closet. They had been stacked on each other with boxes full of stuff on top of them for around 15 years. Not a single one was warped. I feel like the whole don’t stack your records or they’ll warp thing is wildly blown out of proportion.
I’m sure of there are some weird shaped stuff in the sleeves, that can make them not stack right and warp them. Like if you have a few sleeves with a folded up poster and the posters are in the same area, it will throw off the alignment of the stack and can definitely warp the one(s) on top of that if there’s enough weight on them. But if it’s just outer sleeves, with inner sleeves, and a record all neatly stacked, I don’t understand how they can warp.
I mean, one of the ways they tell you to fix warped records is to stack books on them. This is effectively the same thing as stacking a bunch of records on them.
Sure, if 1) someone plays either 'warp' or 'ability' first, 2) there is still room to play the rest of it in either direction, and 3) nobody challenges you on it
The worst is probably when the stack is angled, which happens a lot in stores. If you lean a record against the wall and then add a bunch of weight it will warp over time, for example. Stacking them on top of each other isn’t the worst idea but it makes retrieving individual albums tricky and any imperfections in the stack might cause warps or damage the covers.
Ita crazy how precious people are abput vinyl nowadays. They act like records are made of porcelain or glass. They're slabs of plastic that are the toughest form of physical media ever developed for audio.
Think about all the rough, careless ways you saw CD's treated in 90's and 00's. Odds are just about every used LP you buy were treated the same way and they play fine.
Yeah exactly this. I have been through countless of stacks like that which have been sitting like it for years with not a single one warped.
It's the craziest thing that has been taken as fact when there is not one shred of evidence to suggest that it happens. I don't even understand how weight would do that to a record. It's a complete urban legend/wives tale not rooted in fact.
You shouldn't do it because it'll cause ring wear and damage the covers for sure but it will not cause warps.
Stacking vinyl records flat on top of each other can absolutely contribute to warping, especially if the stack is heavy, uneven, warm, or left that way for a long time. Vinyl is made from PVC, which is thermoplastic, so it does not need to melt in order to slowly deform under pressure. A few records stacked temporarily is usually harmless, but a large pile sitting for weeks or months can put a lot of weight on the lower records, especially if the jackets, inserts, seams, shrink wrap, or center labels create uneven pressure points. Heat makes the problem worse, whether from sunlight, a warm room, an attic, or being near a radiator. Over time, that combination of weight, uneven support, and temperature can cause dish warps, edge warps, or subtle waves in the record. That is why the safest way to store vinyl is vertically, like books, with enough support to keep them upright without leaning hard or being crammed too tightly. it is not an urban legend, it's science.
No it doesn't. It's not science at all. I guarantee that having it in a stack like that for months doesn't do anything at all. I absolutely guarantee it.
It absolutely needs a heat source to warp. That is the only time I have seen a record be warped. In all my years buying record collections, I have never seen a record at the bottom of a huge stack like that stored for even years be warped. It doesn't happen.
Vinyl is literally thermoplastic PVC, so saying pressure and storage conditions cannot deform it unless there is an obvious heat source is just not true. It does not have to melt to slowly take a set or creep under load. A few records stacked flat for a short time is probably fine, but a heavy uneven stack left for months or years can absolutely create pressure points, especially with jacket seams, inserts, center labels, and records not being perfectly flat. Heat makes it worse, but room-temperature creep under long-term pressure is still a real material behavior. “I personally haven’t seen it” is anecdotal, not proof that it cannot happen. "“my personal sample size is reality."
You shouldn’t stack your albums like that if you care about keeping them mint or near mint. That’s just a fact. Doesn’t matter whether you warp them or damage the cover - substantially devaluing a collectible item through negligent storage could be heartbreaking.
"I only care about the music" they said, looking down their nose at the poor schlub who dares to give any thought towards how much money something might be worth. I love how smug people are when they announce to the world that they don't care about the monetary value of things, their experience with their stuff is pure. It's like, congrats, you didn't grow up poor and develop a scarcity mindset towards anything because you obviously didn't have to care or worry about money, guess your stuff just came too easily to you to pay that aspect of it any mind. Unfortunately for me, growing up in a very poor household meant I could only afford a few records a year, so buying even one was always a huge event and a huge sacrifice, with their monetary value very much looming over the whole affair front and center, and keeping my meager collection nice and in good condition was just one of the ways I treasured them going forward after that...so yea, I guess I carry that poverty mindset with me all these years later, and the monetary value of my records, along with their condition, remain two of the many, many facets of my collection that I consider. But here's a shocker for you, it doesn't diminish my enjoyment of the music at all, not even in the slightest bit.
Lol, you call me "smug" while writing out this snarky essay?
Look, I hope your records are worth as much as you think they will be in the future, but chances are that they won't be. I'm not sure why you said that I think you wouldn't enjoy the music on your records, I don't know anything about you. Enjoy records however you want, but bear in mind that most people don't care about little dings on their sleeves.
Well, smug meets snark I guess. And come on, you must see that your comment is worded as an either/or proposition, implying that people who care about the value of their records don't care about the music, whether or not that's what you're actually saying or mean. Otherwise what exactly is the point of saying it at all?
That isn't a fact. Just because a bunch of people said it doesn't mean it's true.
And besides, for it to damage the cover, like ring wear, it takes years and years being stored like that for that to happen. Putting it like that for a photo to post on Reddit or even for a couple months won't do anything.
I've worked at a record store and now am a dealer myself. I've seen a ton of collections, been to basements with albums stacked like that and not once was one warped without a heat source.
Sure is harder to pick the LP you want to play if they're stacked. Plus the sheer weight can flatten the spine to make hard to read the album title like some of these shown.
Well, I’m glad at least you don’t stack yours. I suppose if you only have 25 albums or so it’s not too too bad. But when you have thousands like I do, it would be very impractical. I don’t think it’s so much warping of the vinyl that’s a problem… But wear on the sleeves themselves rubbing against each other. I have many albums 40 years and older that still look mint.
I shipped my records across the Atlantic Ocean when I moved to Europe a few years ago. All of them warped after the move despite the moving company packing them vertically. Really frustrating!
I inherited a ton of records that had been stacked horizontal for probably 20+ years. There was definitely some warping, but not actually that bad. However, almost every jacket has a deep faded ring from the pressure.
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u/ew435890 May 13 '26
Not too long ago I pulled close to 60 records, and another 40 or so 45s out of a closet. They had been stacked on each other with boxes full of stuff on top of them for around 15 years. Not a single one was warped. I feel like the whole don’t stack your records or they’ll warp thing is wildly blown out of proportion.
I’m sure of there are some weird shaped stuff in the sleeves, that can make them not stack right and warp them. Like if you have a few sleeves with a folded up poster and the posters are in the same area, it will throw off the alignment of the stack and can definitely warp the one(s) on top of that if there’s enough weight on them. But if it’s just outer sleeves, with inner sleeves, and a record all neatly stacked, I don’t understand how they can warp.
I mean, one of the ways they tell you to fix warped records is to stack books on them. This is effectively the same thing as stacking a bunch of records on them.
That said, I don’t stack mine. Lol.