Fiona,
Specific solutions depend upon
specific circumstances. I do not have adequate information to answer your
questions. But I am happy to provide general information.
Wooden floors will definitely
off-gas. New wood will off-gas more than old wood. Perhaps the best
alternative for minimal intrusiveness in a storage area is old concrete painted
with at least 3 coats of vapor barrier paint. New concrete has its own
cure period and moisture evaporation schedule. But once fully cured and
aged, it has probably the best minimal off-gassing characteristics if fully
sealed with a coating that also has been give time to fully cure and dry, and
does itself not significantly off-gas. Other conservators, please weigh in
on this.
The significance of all of this
depends upon what is stored in the room. If it is furniture, there is
already plenty of off-gassing from the objects themselves, and the floors are of
relatively minor concern. However, if the room is for archival paper,
major issues may result with wooden floors.
In general, wooden floors need
to be fully sealed on all surfaces - top, sides, bottom. If the floor is
large sheets of wood, the surface area needing to be sealed is reduced.
Typical narrow board maple strip flooring has an extensive percentage of edges
that need to be sealed. In addition, there are a very high number of
joins/gaps that may allow subterranean off-gassing. As a comparison, 4x8
plywood sheets have very little edge surface area and very few gaps to allow
gasses to penetrate. If maple is the desired appearance for the storage
areas, maple plywood is a much better alternative than maple strip flooring, but
fully sealed on top, edges and undersides (3 coats) before installation.
Of course, what is beneath the flooring is also of concern. But there, a
comprehensive vapor barrier can be installed as it will not be
visible.
You have not indicated what is
already in place in the designated storage areas. Perhaps this can be
better adapted than new materials? What is inside the storage rooms does
not have to be the same as what is in the exhibition areas.
Marc
American Conservation Consortium, Ltd.
4
Rockville Road
Broad Brook, CT
06016
www.conservator.com
860-386-6058
*Collections Preservation Consultation
*Conservation Assessments &
Surveys
*Environmental Monitoring & Low-Tech Control
*Moisture
Management Solutions
*Collections in Historic Structures
*Collections Care
Grant Preparation
*Conservation Treatment of:
Furniture
Painted Wood
Horse-Drawn Vehicles
Architectural Interiors
Decorative Objects & Folk Art
Marc A. Williams, President
MS in Art
Conservation, Winterthur Museum Program
Former Chief
Wooden Objects Conservator, Smithsonian Institution
Fellow, American Institute for Conservation (AIC)
Sent: Thursday, May 01, 2014 3:54 PM
Subject: [MUSEUM-L] flooring for collections area
My historical society is preparing to renovate the second floor of
our building and when completed the collections storage will be located in
several of the rooms. Due to the historical nature of the building the
architect has suggested maple wood floors; however, we are wondering if this
would harm the collections as the wood floors may off gas. Do any of you
have suggestions for suitable flooring materials for collections storage
areas?
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