Recycled LP Vinyl Tiles Using a CNC Machine

I used a CNC machine to cut unwanted LPs into identical hexagons, I then used them to tile a floor.

Fox Alien Masuter pro CNC machine

240v AC mini/trimming/palm router to upgrade CNC machine's cutting power

unwanted LPs

vinyl flooring adhesive (https://www.screwfix.com/p/mapei-ultrabond-eco-vs90-plus-ht-vinyl-rubber-flooring-adhesive-5kg/8267h)

adhesive spreading comb

black paint for ply floor and black printer ink (not completely necessary)

You can rest assured that the only records used for this were entirely worthless and contained recordings of music that is better forgotten. Fortunately records that contain music that is better lost to history can still look just as good as valuable records, and used to cover a surface I think they look pretty good.

Calculations

A hexagon made from an LP with a radius of 145mm (290mm diameter), or with each of the 6 sides measuring 145mm yields 0.0546 square metres per tile. To cover 6m2 of floor I cut 120 records into hexagons and this left me with half a square metre’s worth of tiles for wastage as the floor was being laid, and to keep as spares for future.

At first I used my CNC machine to make a hexagonal template out of Perspex with the idea of cutting records into hexagons using a Stanley knife blade. Unfortunately the vinyl used to make records does not score and cut as well as the vinyl used to make karndean type flooring and I could not get an accurate result. Instead I decided to use my CNC machine to cut records into hexagons individually. In the end I was able to speed things-up and cut 3 records at once.

I have a Fox Alien Masuter Pro machine and have found that Open Builds is the better open source software to use to run the machine with. I have also swapped out the DC motor that the machine came with for a mains powered mini router (Fox Alien supply the necessary bracket with the machine). The extra power is needed to cut through wood, and in this case vinyl.

I used Carbide Create (another open source package) to create a simple hexagon with a 145mm radius on a 300mm by 300mm canvas then exported it as an SVG file.

I was then able to import the SVG file into Open Builds, As you can see this part of Open Builds’ process works off a website. This website lets you turn the shape of the hexagon in the form of an SVG file into a toolpath (instructions on where to move the cutter) suitable for a CNC machine. I had a 6mm router cutting bit fitted to the CNC machine, and found that a feedrate (speed at which the CNC machine moves the cutter along) of 300mm per minute was just right. There is nothing to stop you tweaking the feedrate further, or trying to cut multiple records in one go.

Once the toolpath had been created I exported and download it as a Gcode file onto my laptop. I then closed Open Build’s website and opened up the Open Build program (app) on my laptop and connected it to my CNC machine.

As you will be able to see on the youtube clip below I made a plywood bed for the records to sit-on while they were being cut. An unwanted hex bit seemed to be just the right size to use as a pin to hold the records in place, and to use as a centre marker for the setting the CNC machine at 0. You will also notice I had to secure the bottom-right corner of the record with a screw, this was because the sidewards pressure of the CNC machine milling the records pushes the records round and out of position.

Because the original hexagon shape had been created on a 300mm by 300mm canvas on Carbide Create the machine’s zero position at the bottom left corner was -150mm and -150mm from the centre point (the hex bit pin used to secure the record).

With the toolpath ready to go, and the CNC machine zero’d at the bottom left corner with the cutting bit touching the top of where the record would be I was able to click start.

https://youtu.be/gFMuTcZnen0

Friction from the cutting bit as it cuts causes the vinyl to melt and stick to the side of the record. When I cut more than 1 record at once it was necessary to separate them with a Stanley knife, and gently rub down the edges with sandpaper.

https://youtu.be/_Po07gmTW5E

There is a bit of a process to it and few steps to take, but I was able to turn 120 records into 120 identical hexagons quite quickly using the CNC machine.

My plan was to tile a garden office floor using records, time will tell if a layer of clear resin is necessary as well. I think that clear shiny resin over slightly worn records will look even better than clean new ones. If you are planning to tile a horizontal surface, a tabletop, or maybe a no-shoes-floor you might not need to cover in resin at all.

I painted the ply foor black to start with just in case I left any gaps between tiles. I had to start my floor off from an open French Window doorway as this was the first straight line that the viewers eyes would go to, and centred the tiles off of the join between the two doors. Although a Stanley knife was not suitable for cutting the 6 short sides needed to cut a hexagon, a Stanley knife and ruler worked perfectly for cutting the tiles in half.

I used a standard flooring adhesive, my thinking was that an adhesive designed to be used with Karndean type vinyl flooring would also work perfectly well with record vinyl. It did do a very good job of sticking the records down and it had the advantage of being quite easy to clean off with a damp cloth while the floor was being laid, and easy to clean off with white spirit once dry.

I thought that it would be a good idea to dye the adhesive black with some printer ink as both are water based, but in the end the ink only changed the adhesive from light brown to light grey. As I had started off from the entrance to the room I had to finish off laying tiles around the edges the following day.

To finish off the edges I test laid the last tiles without spreading any adhesive. I used newspaper cut into hexagons as templates for cutting the last tiles to fit the edges up to the walls.

With all tiles cut and ready to lay I spread the last of the adhesive and laid the tiles. The next day I filled-in the holes in the middle of each tile with black paint and had a go at filling in any gaps between tiles with diluted paint.

I quite like the end result and the floor is definitely unique. If you are in the UK and you feel like giving this a go I am selling-off my stockpile of records.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/236131277061