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Jack-Campin t1_iwzyu7z wrote

Reply to comment by Potatoskins937492 in Best way to display books, while also protecting them? by slaney0

I don't know what those cabinets are made of, but in the long term (decades) the material matters. Some timber composites can outgas chlorine, sulfur dioxide or terpenes that may bleach or stain books. Library shelves are steel these days for a reason.

In the shorter term light is the enemy. Windowless rooms (like an internal hallway) are best.

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newbie04 t1_ix1bdt4 wrote

Are solid wood shelves okay?

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Jack-Campin t1_ix1kh5e wrote

Generally yes, if they're ventilated. Pine can keep outgassing chemicals for a century - worst case is keeping photographic prints in a pine drawer.

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newbie04 t1_ix1m0pa wrote

So a closed wooden bookcase would be bad? How many years for damage to occur?

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Jack-Campin t1_ix1q1kl wrote

You can't know. I'd guess IKEA products are randomly sourced pine and not seasoned for long.

It's not a huge risk, and adequate ventilation and periodic reshuffling of the shelves should keep it at bay for a lifetime.

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newbie04 t1_ix1tg58 wrote

Wait, ikea products would be good or bad in that case? What does adequate ventilation mean for a bookcase with doors?

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Jack-Campin t1_ix2vg6x wrote

So long as you move the books around occasionally this isn't likely to be a problem.

No way will IKEA ever tell you what their timber is. There are no tables saying what gets outgassed from different types of timber or composite anyway.

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newbie04 t1_ix33ncu wrote

Regarding IKEA, I meant is it good or bad for books if the pine was not seasoned long?

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Jack-Campin t1_ix3cab9 wrote

You can't know. It seems like some kinds of pine still cause an issue after 100 years, but if you move the books around every few months you won't get a problem.

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newbie04 t1_ix3db1z wrote

What's better, solid wood or engineered wood?

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