Antique China Cabinet..Will It Crack If It Is Against The Baseboard Heater?

Question

I had an armoir (sp?) that was brand new amish made in my bedroom and I (stupidly) put it against the floorboard heat....It was fresh wood and the heat put a big crack down the side... As for my antique china cabinet I was wondering if it would be safe to put against the heatboard....since the wood is already old and dry (my great great grandfather made it)...do you think it would crack as well? I am rearranging my dining room and there is a certain wall I really want to put it against....Thanks.....

Answer 1

This is yours and not mine but if it were mine I would not put it up against the heat nor would I put it a 1/8 inch away. It is easy to say that you can do this but the truth is that we all live in different parts of the country and the moisture factor is different for all of us. This is a wonderful piece of furniture to have and treasure I would not take the chance of something happening to it. Wood as you have learned holds moisture new wood has a base of moisture in it but in an area where there is a lot of humidity that furniture will also have a moisture in it, ergo it becomes like new wood again.

Answer 2

I work with wood, and have a long time.

If you place it near a heat source there is a very good possibility it will crack. Do you really want to take that chance with an important piece?

Here is what happens... the heat source tends to 'bake' the moisture out of the wood. This causes stress in the wood fibers, as they shrink. "Old World" style joinery allows for more flexibility in the joints than the modern approach of stapling everything together, hehe.. but it will still only allow for so much movement. That "Amish" built piece you have, would have been made of kiln dried lumber, with a moisture content of 6% to 8%. This is LESS than most regional humidity levels.... meaning the kiln dried lumber has less moisture in it, than a piece of wood left on the shelf for a year. I point this out, because while your China Cabinet is antique... it has still changed moisture content over the years, as the seasons have changed, and humidity levels of its environment have changed. Just because its 'old' does not mean it is 'drier', than a new piece of furniture.

If you absolutely have to have the cabinet on that particular wall... move the heat source. If this is a baseboard heater, then it simply means moving an electrical supply to a different wall, an electrician can do that for you.

Two things I will not do with valuable wood pieces....I will not place them over a heat source (or air conditioner vent), nor will I put them against an outside wall. Outside walls often have a greater change in temperature than interior walls, and this can affect the piece in question, whether its a solid wood cabinet, or even a piano. Yes, this can make decorating challenging at times, hehehe, but if you want the piece to last, its necessary.

Good Luck

Answer 3

I'd keep it away from heat. Heat is not good for wood.

Depending on what the cabinet looks like, you may be able to get some foam board insulation (it's like a big sheet of styrofoam with a foil backing) from Home Depot or Lowes that you could cut and put between the heat and the cabinet. It won't be pretty if the cabinet has an open bottom with legs but if the bottom is like a closed box you may be able to conceal it back there. I'd even put it across the top of the baseboard heat, too, to keep the heat from rising against the back of the cabinet. Make sure there's no way for hot air to escape behind the cabinet.

If it's visible, maybe you could get creative and cover the insulation with something less objectionable that would blend in with the room.

Answer 4

i am an antique dealer if you put it about 1/8 of an inch away from the floorboared heat nothing will happen to it i am sure you can leave it that much away from the heater just to be on the safe side i do not think anything will happen to it if you put it directly on it but the wood might warp from being on the heater so i would be careful of that putting it 1/8 of an inch is not going to make it look any differant than if you would put it right up against it but protect it for sure.hope my answer helped you.