rashmisarma

Need help on wooden bookself

rashmisarma
5 years ago

Dear friends,

I am in a critical situation. I have lots of books and I want a wall to wall bookcase. Last week, I give the contract to a carpenter who worked regularly with us from last ten years. I choose wood as material instead of plywood because wood is stronger and easily reusable in other place.

Now, because of the carpenter, I am completely in a mess. I don’t have any understanding of wood. Because he is regularly doing carpentry with us, I believe on him. He buys khokan wooden plank for the self and gamari wood for the glass door. But these are with moisture. When I put the books, the books take the moisture from the selves and became damp. I am also worried that after drying, the bookshelf may bend and dis-shaped. Even he did not place it properly and in some places there is gap between the wall and the bookshelf. When I asked, he said that the wall and plastering is not even.

I cannot change the bookshelf; it is already made and hooked in wall. How to make it usable? I ask a mason (who does brick work and plasters) if he can seal the gap by using cement, but I am worried that it is not possible before the drying process of wood is complete. How to dry the wood easily and quickly? What is the best possible way to fill the gap so no book destroying elements like ants, mouse, lizard etc. enter the selves?

Please, please, please, help.

Comments (17)

  • PRO
    Studio Chippan
    5 years ago

    You can use hair dryer or heat gun to dry the timber. Hold the dryer couple of inches away to avoid burning or discoluration. Use acrylic wood filler or wood filler strips for the gaps after couple of weeks allowing the planks to settle. You can use the shelf in the meantime once dried with dryer. After filling remember to seal with a thin well diluted coat of wood sealer. Shoddy workmanship is common in this part of the world, all get taken for major rides, not to worry, yours is a tiny hiccup.

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  • rashmisarma
    Original Author
    5 years ago

    Thanks a lot Studio Chippan. Where I get acrylic wood filler or wood filler strip? Now I can't trust the timber shop for anything. What is heat gun? Where i found it?

  • rashmisarma
    Original Author
    5 years ago

    Hi Cornertone,

    I can't upload any pic. My camera is not working and in service centre.

  • PRO
    Cornerstone Design Studio India
    5 years ago
    Ok. we can understand.
  • rashmisarma
    Original Author
    5 years ago

    I need more opinions. Kindly comments with other options.


  • rashmisarma
    Original Author
    5 years ago

    Hi Studio Chippan,

    My bookshelf is now slowly drying. What is the next process/step? Now it looks dried up but I am afraid to put my books again. Actually if I put lightweght things like few books, it does not show the soggyness in books but if i cover the shelf with hevyweight book, the planks shows the moisture. Last night I just see it by trial and error method.

    What is the wood sealer? Is PU a wood sealer?

    Tha carenter will come after ten days because I stop him to put the glasses on the door now. After he will attach the glases, Can I do the wood sealer step?

  • rashmisarma
    Original Author
    5 years ago

    Last few days I searched about this problem in net and most site says that book needs air circulation. So Should i put metal mesh/wire mesh in the door in stead of glass?

  • rashmisarma
    Original Author
    5 years ago

    Hi Studio Chippan, Kindly give some names of acrylic wood filler easily available in india.

  • PRO
    Studio Chippan
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Asianpaints woodtech aquadur dent filler or MRF Acrylic Wood Filler. You need a sanding sealer before you apply PU top coat. I would not apply the PU on for atleast a couple of months for the wood to dry completely otherwise you would lock the moisture inside the wood with the PU.

    May I know your location? Is it a warm humid place?

  • rashmisarma
    Original Author
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Hi, I am from Assam, Guwahati. Yes it is warm humid place with lot of rains (like kerala).

    The bookcase is gradually drying. Fortunately last few days were very sunny and airy and my room has two big windows.

    Few mor details of my bookcase. It is 8 feet wide, 6 feet tall and 11 inch deep. It was attached with wall with 6 wall screw and has four pair of legs.I ask the carpenter to divide the bookcase into 3 part (32 inch each) and two door system for each part. Every part has 6 shelve from top to botom. There is no plywood or wood in back. I made it that way because the bookcase is attached in my room's inner wall

    I understand that the bookcase may have very little gap in between wall and wooden planks and i am ready for it. But I have no idea that beacuse of faulty mesurement, it became 1 inch gap between wall and sheve in the upper side. In lower side it is very minimum gap.

    I stop the carpenters to put the glass door. But now I see that they also make fault in making the doors. The doors are heavier that the shelf. The wooden planks are 1 inch thick while the door are 1.1/2 inch thick.

    I actually visit few hardwere shops here, but most have no ideas what to do and few says to apply wall putty to fill the gap. But my back wall is coloured (old wall, that why) and wall putty will not set on old wall and timber.

    I cannot remove it now from the wall otherwise the wall may destroyed. I really need a step by step guide now that what to do after the heves are dry, how to fil the gap and how to put the door without further damaging the shelf.

  • rashmisarma
    Original Author
    5 years ago

    Hi studio Chippan, is the Asianpaints woodtech aquadur dent filler or MRF Acrylic Wood Filler fill gap that is 1 inch wide and gap between timber and cement plaster? What should be the average/ideal size for two glass door for a 6 feet tall and 11 inch deep cabinet/shelf? The glass size are 4mm. There are another product call wood putty. is it same with wood filler? I sse it from dulux paints.

  • PRO
    Studio Chippan
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    putty is not the same as filler. You have an overall gap of 2 inches (1 inch either side) from what i gather. You will need to use the door piece to fill the gaps and use the filler to correct the joints and imperfections. Install aluminium frame glass doors, either pivot or sliding. That is the only logical solution.

  • PRO
    JANGIR DECOR
    5 years ago
    hi Rashi,
    if u used green wood then u have to wait atleast one rainy season, because in this season Wood movement will be increase . whatever work u r done it will be inefficient. so it will be better if u provide pictures then we will guide u better.
    thanks
  • rashmisarma
    Original Author
    5 years ago

    Hi Freinds,

    I upload before and after photos of wall to wall wooden
    bookcase. I gave the pictures where the
    gap exists. I fill it with wooden thin slats (hear we called these as wooden
    bit).

    To dry the wood I keep open the windows and
    fortunately, within one month, the woodshelves are dried. I check it by placing books on the shelves overnight.

    Now i am going to primer and colour the inner side of the bookshelves. i am thinking of yellow. My wall are creamy and door and windows are in phiroja blue.


  • PRO
    Wood and Carving
    5 years ago

    Hello Rashmi,


    I won't suggest you to with primer and water base paint on it, please go for proper polishing of the bookshelf (both inside as well as outside), it will not only give it proper finishing rather it will increase the life of the product and as you said your shelf is now dried, the wood won't catch moister. Please do proper sanding of the product, start from 80no. sanding paper, then cover the small gaps via teak wood putty and in bigger gaps, fill them with wood powder by sealing them with bond [you can use superbond (instant adhesive) , if its available their], then again apply 120no. sanding paper to it (it will remove all the marks to give it proper finishing), then again check everything is up to the mark, if not repeat the process, then go for 1 quote of Melamine sealer, let it dry, apply water paper (for sanding) to it, then 1 more thin quote of Melamine sealer by mixing any color you wish too, like walnut, teak, chestnut, old antique pine etc and then go for Melamine polish. The stuff now has properly been polished and it won't catch moister and the life has also increased.


    Also a small piece of advice, whenever you are making something from hard wood, please use chemically seasoned hard wood only, as the chemical protects it from termite and damp and the seasoning process takes out all the moister from the wood and makes it completely dry so it's good to use.


    Let me know if i can be of any assistance.

  • rashmisarma
    Original Author
    5 years ago

    Hi Wood and Carving,


    First and farmost, thanks for the detail suggetions. I am sory that I missed ur comment.

    Yes I used 80 no. and 120 no. of sanding paper. Actually, the carpenters do the sanding twice before join the sheves and fixed them on wall. For termite the carpenter used 'terminator' termite killer. Yes, on my suggestion the carpenter fill the gap with wood powder (extract from the sanding) mixed with 'fevicol' adhesive. than I primer it ith asian paint. and than colour it yellow enamel of asian paint.

    again, thanks a lot.