Best affordable method of storing a huge DVD collection?
 

I'm getting tired of these Sauder #2650 cabinets. I have 7 of them. I liked them at first, obviously, but they just piss me off now. I hate having to leave so much open space on each side for the door to swing open. Plus, if you put anything heavy on top, the doors end up hard to open and close because the top gets pressed down. I have a little over 1200 SD-DVDs, 60 BDs, etc.

I don't want to go with open shelves because things in here get really dusty. I saw these things, but there's no way I'm paying so much for simple storage. That's like $2 per DVD being stored! There have to be cheaper drawer systems with drawers close to the right size for DVDs. I just haven't seen any. I thought about trying those plastic 4-drawer things at Walmart for $50. They look halfway sturdy, but they only seem to to come in that shitty tan color.

I've got an amish neighbor up the road that makes furniture. I wonder what he'd charge me to make like a 6'H x 4'W cabinet like the Sauder ones, but with the doors done to open straight out instead of having to swing to the side.

Re: Best affordable method of storing a huge DVD collection?
 

Building stuff yourself or getting someone else to do it is pretty much the cheapest way to do it and you get much better quality. I'm working on building one out of pine. Something around 6 ft tall, 6-8 ft long at around $50-$75.

Much bigger than the Sauder ones and made out of better materials. But it's really amazing how much you save by doing it yourself and how much better it turns out.

Re: Best affordable method of storing a huge DVD collection?
 

Are you trying to keep them in their cases or do you want to switch to something else? I've recently started putting some things into those slim CD cases and putting those in a drawer. Other things (mainly TV series or sets like Monty Python) I've been putting into these Unikeep binders I've recently discovered http://www.unikeep.com/ What's nice about those is you can create custom covers (either through a service they offer or just do it on your own). I know some people don't like binders for DVDs but personally I've never had a problem... yet ;) Although I doubt I'll use them for the Blu-Ray discs.

Re: Best affordable method of storing a huge DVD collection?
 

I keep all my discs in the original cases or replacement amaray cases when the original is shit (like snapcase stuff).

Re: Best affordable method of storing a huge DVD collection?
 

I did this using cheap white pine that can be found at any home improvement store. Its about 7 feet tall (floor to top shelf) and 5-6 feet wide I think. It was basically my only option for the space I had open and the amount of discs I had. It cost about $50 after it was done (compared to the hundreds it would have) and took a day. Its not the most finely crafted piece of furniture by any means partially because I didn't really plan anything except getting the right size pieces of wood. I just drilled and assembled.

Re: Best affordable method of storing a huge DVD collection?
 

If it weren't for your issue with shelves collecting dust, I'd say buy the Ikea GORM shelving system - you can build a large number of shelves for very little money with very little time. However, you do have to dust them, or accept dust on them.

Re: Best affordable method of storing a huge DVD collection?
 

Anyone tried these Spartak things? They're a little more affordable. http://www.storeyourmedia.com/825-cd...p-drawers.aspx

Re: Best affordable method of storing a huge DVD collection?
 

I use sleeves (Discsox, wait for 50% off deals and stock up) in Ikea boxes (2 boxes, $4.99). Each box holds 60 or so movies. I put it all on simple unfinished pine furniture (one shelf, $75, holds 500 movies). 12" x 12" x 5' tall. Amazingly compact.

http://i426.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia_storage.jpg

Re: Best affordable method of storing a huge DVD collection?
 

Have you heard of this company:
http://www.can-am.ca/?

One friend of mine bought their drawers and was very pleased with them.

Re: Best affordable method of storing a huge DVD collection?
 

Is 1200 considered a huge collection?

Re: Best affordable method of storing a huge DVD collection?
 

you can store at my house, and i'll even pay the shipping

Re: Best affordable method of storing a huge DVD collection?
 

It's probably larger than most people have. May be not around here but you have to consider a lot of people that frequent here; 1) have been collecting since the beginning (about 10 years now), 2) are reviewers or somehow tied into the industry (either production, supply or review side), 3) DVDs are their prime hobby so a significant part of their spending money goes into it... so I wouldn't say collection sizes here are representative of the general populace.

Re: Best affordable method of storing a huge DVD collection?
 

Build your own. I did that once at my old place. the wood and screws are super cheap at Lowes or the Home Depot.

Re: Best affordable method of storing a huge DVD collection?
 

curious... for yous guys suggesting the op to diy, you are referring to building shelves with doors right? because it seems that is what the op wants. imho, building shelves might be an adventure. but building shelving with doors kinda sounds like a disaster :D

Re: Best affordable method of storing a huge DVD collection?
 

I can't speak for the cabinet you linked to above, but I bought these: http://www.storeyourmedia.com/1600-c...ing-tower.aspx

I have about the same amount of DVD's as you and my entire collection fits into two of them with space still left.

Re: Best affordable method of storing a huge DVD collection?
 

For those that have built their own, anyone care to share some photos?

Re: Best affordable method of storing a huge DVD collection?
 

I have less than two hundred movies & shows, which take up three shelves in my basement and seem like almost too many to me. So yes, 1200 is huge to some people, just as a 12-story house would seem huge to me, next to my humble two-story home.

It looks to me that cheap Ikea Gorm shelving and boxes are you best best, so long as appearence isn't a priority.

Re: Best affordable method of storing a huge DVD collection?
 

Ohh yea... Forgot about him wanting doors. Perhaps he should invest in a .99cent duster from Walmart instead of crazy expensive doors. Lol.

Re: Best affordable method of storing a huge DVD collection?
 

I didn't do doors, but they can't be THAT hard can they? lol

Re: Best affordable method of storing a huge DVD collection?
 

Yup, but I used the spinning rack version - quite excellent!

http://www.homeandoffice.com/images/details/2393.jpg

Re: Best affordable method of storing a huge DVD collection?
 

Well, I've put together enough of those damn Sauder cabinets that I can do it without the instructions at this point. All I want to do is something bigger with doors that open straight out instead of swinging to the side. It shouldn't be too hard if I can get the wood it the right sizes. Our kitchen actually has a cabinet with a pretty awesome design I'd like to try to copy. It's got the shelves in the back and on the doors, but, there's another set of shelves in the middle on hinges that open out to reveal the back shelves. If I could do something like that in a 6'Hx4'W cabinet, it might hold 800-1000 movies or better.

Re: Best affordable method of storing a huge DVD collection?
 

Two stories? Must be nice.

Re: Best affordable method of storing a huge DVD collection?
 

What I've done is bought the Billy bookcase from Ikea. Each comes with 5 or 6 shelves, I can't remember. Great, except the size of shelf required for a DVD would mean you'd be able to fit 7 shelves + the bottom fixed shelf.

Now Ikea charges an arm and a leg for a couple of extra shelves, it's actually cheaper to buy a separate Billy and cannibalize the thing for the extra shelves it comes with and chuck the structure or use it for firewood.

So far I have 2 bookcases with about 360 DVD's and about 30% of my second Billy is still free. If you secure them to the walls you can also pile a lot of stuff on the top of the bookcase as well, I keep all my busts and larger sets up on top.

These are approx 6-7 feet tall.

Re: Best affordable method of storing a huge DVD collection?
 

I dropped almost $3000 on 4 of the Can-Am cabinets and haven't regretted it once.

Re: Best affordable method of storing a huge DVD collection?
 

Let me throw my 2 cents in.. I have about 1300 DVDs. What i have is about 8 CD/DVD organizers where I put the discs in alphabetical order. The pages can come out so it' easy to rearrange if needed. I usually only put 1 or 2 discs on one page (it can hold 8) to allow for easy addition with hassle. My entire collection fits in a shelf space of about 2'x2'.

I dump all the cases into boxes that I put in storage (in case I ever want to sell them), but I take the slip case/artwork and put them in separate binders in those clear sleeves, in alphabetical order. It's not as bad as it sounds.

The only problem is snap cases.. I use DVD profiler to keep track of everything.. I keep the snap cases in a huge box in storage, so if I ever want to sell one of those I know I need to go into that box to find the original case.

I sell my empty cases occasionally - since they really are meaningless to me except when I re-sell/trade.

I do have 2 organizers devoted to foreign films. other than that, it's all by alphabetical.

The big box sets do pose a problem. I tend to keep the case/artwork in those boxes, and then file the boxes in storage.

Most of the special boxes (LOTR, Alien Quad, etc.) I actually do take the discs out and put them in my organizer. Why? Because I HATE to take the discs out of cases!! Especially tricky ones!! with my solution, I do this exactly once - when I first remove the dsic to watch it.. After that, I take it out of the organizer.. Tremendously easier.

The other caveat is with those blasted dvd -18. I truly loath those. I find them by looking around the alphabet category (ie. if the movie starts with a "Si" then I know where to look. A little bit of a pain to find these without their cases, but it's not bad.

On the positive side, i really get to appreciate all the wonderful artwork on the discs!!

Anyway, thought I would share. Been doing this for almost a decade and wouldn't want to do it any other way.