Seek shelf finish that won’t stick to books
I have three shelves done in different finishes–shellac, Ben-Moore semi gloss, and oil-based poly–that all wind up sticking to my books and magazines, some worse than others.
The shellac surface was put on two years ago–pulls bits of paper off my books and mags. Time sitting and humidity seem to be factors, but the surface is not really reliable for book storage.
The poly coated end table is 20 years old. It sticks to reading material mostly in the summer when the weather is humid.
The painted shelf is also 20 years old. Time, independent of moisture, seems to be the factor that causes reading material to stick. If I don’t move things around about once every two months, stuff sticks. I’m not excited about regular re-arrangement of my reading materials.
I’m not sure what to do here. I notice my local library uses steel shelving with what appears to be powder-coating finish. Maybe the books don’t stick because they are covered in plastic jackets.
What kind of finish makes a wood bookcase usable for storing books????
Thank you in advance.
Replies
Water based varnish.
Archives and research libraries only use steel shelving. It's the only thing that won't damage their collections. But they are also thinking in terms of decades, or longer.
Shellac are too sensitive the changes in temperature and humidity. Most water based finishes lack the hardness you need.
Some new paints dry much harder than usual latexes. I like Ben Moore's Advance. It's technically not a latex, but a water based alkyd. There are a couple of other brands. Ben Moore's Impervo is oil vased, and and a good choice.
Water based poly has worked for me and others.
Also I think danish oils and BLO also work. Bookshelves are sometimes get lighter use so those can be appropriate finishes.
If you are putting books on a shelf, I would never use any kind of oil. It will end up in your books.
I’ve used water based poly and Danish oil, as well as lacquer over stain. The latter has been my go-to for most shelves and low-use surfaces. You could also try Aqua-Coat which is water based and a filler. Throw some wax on it after it hardens and nothing will stick.
Re: If you are putting books on a shelf, I would never use any kind of oil. It will end up in your books.
Do you have something to back that up? I've never heard where paper soaks up a cured oil finish. I'm genuinely curious.
Mike
Thanks to everyone for the help here. It's good to learn about all these finish options for future pieces, of which I have a good queue.
Update: in conversation with a neighbor, she suggested paste wax. She also handed me her can of Turtle Wax to try out.
I know, it's for cars, and it has silicates in it, which will make any future refinishing impossible. Still, I'm happy with the color and sheen on all these pieces, so I foresee no refinishing of the surfaces.
I'll give it a whirl on the shellac shelving first. Will report back.
Update 2: Definitely changed the feel of the shelf surface, it eliminates that ever-so-slight tackiness that I didn't even notice until I put this on.
This product leaves a haze on the surface, which looks like the finish is worn and faded, instead of something on it.
It I'm ok with this for a couple of shelves, but I'm going to go to the bother of buying something like Johnson's Paste Wax, which is intended for wood.
Benjamin Moore also make a waterborne version of Impervo which I have used on shelves and bookcases without any stickiness/blocking issues
I just finished restoring and old bookcase a few weeks ago. The finish is shellac with water based poly top coats. I let is all dry for about a week before putting books back in. The books include one whole row of paperbacks. They have now been there for a couple of weeks and none of them have stuck to the finish.
I suspect that the shellac that you used was (unintentionally) contaminated with water, either because the pre-mixed shellac was old or if flakes were used, the alcohol was not pure. Do some Google research and you'll see what I mean.
"Poly" doesn't provide enough info to comment.
I personally have some very expensive bookshelves that I know were finished with nitrocellulose lacquer. Nothing sticks to them.
Finishes will become sticky through the unnecessary use of silicone containing furniture polishes. A damp rag is all that is required to clean furniture. "Feeding the wood". What a crock.
Recently, I have used Benjamin Moore Advance as well like mentioned above - I researched around for a paint colored finish I could use that would not be sticky like latex, since lacquer isn’t hobbyist friendly. For stain finish, 40 years ago I applied a polyurethane (water based I think...) over stain on some mahogany bookshelves I built and then rubbed in Johnson wax with 000 steel wool - the shelves have had an encyclopedia set that got a lot of use on them in my parents house since about a month after completion and have never been sticky in all those years. I have also used GF milk paint with their Ultra(?) clear finish coated over it as I was trying to match to lacquered kitchen cabinet finish; GF says 21 days to full cure. I haven’t used it on a shelf but it seems like it wouldn’t ever be sticky (allow for complete curing). Maybe someone else can comment on milk paint/clear finish for a bookshelf?
I had good results with a Ben Moore Alkyd paint on a couple sets of built-ins. I've also gotten good results with a Varathane water-based poly as well as milk paint.
Have them sprayed with coloured lacquer if you want an opaque finish. Don't paint them like all these silly suggestions. Painting them will make them look amateurish.
If they're "built-in", remove them and sent them out for a quality job, just as you would kitchen cupboards.
There is absolutely nothing amateurish about paint.
If something is "built-in," removing is not an option.
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