Wood and other construction materials

The following is forwarded from Envoy 100

    Posted:    Tue  Jan 26, 1988  12:56 PM PST
    From:      PARKS.A (Rob Stevenson at
                        Parks Atlantic Regional Conservation Lab
    TO:        CIN.SUL
    CC:        PARKS.A
    Subject:   re:   WOOD SHELVING QUERY

    Hello Walter......Rob here at Parks.a

    We've just been looking in some depth at this issue as we are about
    to teach a Care & Handling course to our own Collections Managers.

    A few thoughts in no particular order...

    Is price the main concern?  If not....use metal!

    If you must use wood, spruce is generally thought to be the least
    problematic.  Hardwoods in general and oaks and mahoganies in
    particular are the most trouble.

    Is appearance a concern?  If not, don't finish them!

    You may think that a finish holds in the problem constituents of the
    wood but alas it does not - it only slows their passage. And the
    finish itself has all sorts of polyunpronouncables to give off while
    it cures.  So if you must finish, allow at least one month and
    preferably as much as 6 months for the finish to set, dry and cure.
    And the finish of preference is probably interior latex paint.

    Use knot free (clear) wood. Knots concentrate resins in a small
    area.  Maybe cover the shelves with plastic sheeting? Or use
    melamine coated boards - sold as closet shelving in building supply
    stores - sealing all cut edges with latex paint and then waiting....

    Somebody had better do a monograph on this soon... this is about the
    sixth time I've been asked to advise on this topic this past year.
    Bye for now.........

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                   Conservation DistList Instance 1:1
                   Distributed: Tuesday, May 17, 1988
                        Message Id: cdl-1-1-011
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