When we launched the article about reading corners, some friends reflected in the background that for teachers, writers, editors and people who like paper books, having a reading corner alone is far from enough, and they also want a large bookshelf.

So today Dongting will talk to you about how to store your poems (大) and (书) distant (架) places at home.

Bookshelf Style

Bookshelves can be divided into three styles according to their installation form: hanging, built-in and free-standing.

▏Suspended type▕​

A hanging bookshelf is a type of bookshelf that uses tools to fix wooden bookshelf grids or shelves to the wall.

The more common one is the wall-mounted bookshelf storage cabinet combination.

The other is that wooden shelves are supported on the wall with the help of metal racks and metal cantilever supports to act as bookshelves.

Generally, books will have an inclination angle when placed upright, so this kind of bookshelf is best placed against the wall at one end. Of course, you can also use side baffles to support the books.

▲ There are four metal brackets behind the shelf. The metal cantilever support is the part extending from the bottom of the shelf that supports the weight of the shelf.

Of course, there is also the useful Aigert series.

It has a high appearance, good load-bearing capacity, flexible size, easy assembly, and there is no obstruction on the front, making it convenient to take and put items.

However, please note that when using a bookshelf, it is not recommended to install it on a non-solid wall because the wall's load-bearing capacity is different .

Embedded​​

As the name suggests, the bookshelf is embedded in the recessed wall. The difference from a free-standing bookshelf is that it does not have a back panel.

Advantages: It can be tailored according to the items that need to be stored . In addition to the size, customization can also ensure the consistency of the overall style.

Meanwhile, storage space built into the wall can accommodate a variety of furniture and furnishings, from televisions to vases.

▏ Independent ▕

Freestanding bookshelves or bookcases are the most common.

If you have a large collection of books at home, you can choose to use one wall to make a large floor-to-ceiling bookshelf, which is generally 300mm deep and 2200mm high.

However, if you don't have that many books, it is recommended to use a small independent bookshelf. The height of the bookshelf should be the maximum height that your fingertips can reach, which is height × 1.2 .

Friends who have a lot of books at home can remember this: the height of a person's line of sight is height × 0.9, so this height is suitable for placing frequently used or important books.

The difference between solid wood and board

Generally, solid wood or boards that meet the craftsmanship standards can be used as bookshelf materials.

However, some friends may object. For example, if the bookshelf at home is made of cheap boards, the load-bearing shelves will bend and deform after three or two years.

This brings us to the issue of the load-bearing capacity of the bookshelf.

▏The load-bearing capacity of the bookshelf▕

The load-bearing capacity of a bookshelf mainly depends on the distance between each compartment .

For example, joinery wood panels have poor lateral bending resistance, so if you use them to make bookshelves, you need to reduce the spacing appropriately.

Increasing the thickness of the board can also greatly improve its bending resistance .

So if your bookshelf is prone to deformation, it may be that it is not thick enough.

Generally, 18mm thick particleboard or density board is used, the grid width is 350mm-800mm, and the maximum width cannot exceed 800mm (the maximum width of 25mm thick board is 900mm).

When using solid wood grating, the maximum width should not exceed 1000mm .

The library uses steel structure to make grid panels, so the grid width can be widened.

▏Pure solid wood▕

The base material used is natural wood with bright and vivid patterns, environmentally friendly and natural, and durable.

The disadvantage is that solid wood has a high water absorption rate and needs to be dried during processing. It is difficult to dehydrate and it is easy to crack and deform if not handled properly.

All solid wood must be protected from moisture and sunlight .

Of course, the biggest disadvantage of solid wood furniture is that it is expensive .

▲ Walnut bookshelf

Generally affordable solid wood furniture includes pine, fir, and oak, but they also have their own disadvantages.

Pine wood itself is soft and easy to crack .

The texture of fir is soft and the wood is not tight. It is easy to dry out and deform in a high temperature environment, and it is easy to be stained .

Oak is hard in texture, so be careful about collision and wear .

▏Wood board with solid wood veneer▕

This is a relatively common practice. The wood board has stable performance and hard texture. After the surface is veneered with solid wood, it has a texture like solid wood and is beautiful.

Woodworking board is the blockboard on the market . The outermost veneer is called the surface board, the innermost veneer is called the middle board, the middle layer is called the spliced ​​wood core board, and the small wooden strips that make up the wood core board are called core strips. The wood grain direction of the core strip is specified to be the longitudinal direction of the board.

The materials of the inner core include poplar, birch, pine, paulownia and many others.

Compared with solid wood panels, blockboard has uniform specifications, is not easy to deform, has good nail holding force and high strength.

The moisture content is 10%-13%. It is more stable than solid wood boards and is easier to construct , but be careful not to use it in humid places.

It should be noted that only E1 grade blockboard , so you need to smell it when choosing. If the smell is pungent, it means that the formaldehyde content is too high and it is best not to buy it.

▏Melamine board▕​

At present, the base materials used for panel furniture on the market are all of this type of board, which is divided into melamine particleboard and melamine density board (a board formed by hot pressing and sticking paper soaked and dried in melamine resin adhesive on the surface of particleboard and density board).

However, the middle layer of particle board is long wood fibers, and the two sides are fine-textured wood fibers, which are pressed into boards.

It has a tight molecular structure and high bending strength , making it more suitable for bookshelf shelves than density fiberboard. It also uses less glue than density fiberboard and is more environmentally friendly.

For more questions about panels , please click on the blue words to enter the article.

▏Solid wood is not necessarily good▕

After reading the above analysis, you may have noticed that the main disadvantage of solid wood is that it is easy to deform, while the disadvantage of board materials is environmental issues.

Of course, in terms of the bending resistance of bookshelves, solid wood is not necessarily better than panels.

This is determined by the processing technology of solid wood . It mainly adopts the splicing method . The main stress point is at the splicing place, and the lateral bearing capacity will obviously be affected.

The interior of the particle board is a cross-staggered granular structure, and the performance in all aspects is basically the same, so it has good lateral bearing capacity.

How to arrange bookshelves at home

▏Concept▕​​

First of all, friends must be clear about one concept: the purpose of a large bookshelf is to store books , not for decoration, so the focus must be on the books, not on the beautiful decoration.

The shape of the grid should preferably be a regular rectangular block, which makes it easier to place books.

Small bookshelves are suitable for students who do not have many books at home, as they can be more decorative.

▲ Except for freelancers, many people prefer to keep books in the office so that they can take them whenever they need them. If there are not many books at home, you can choose decorative ones to make reading more interesting.

Dimensions​​

It should be noted that the normal height of a single compartment on the bookshelf is 350mm-400mm , so even thick 16-page books can be easily placed.

Generally, 300mm is enough for the depth, but if you want to store items that take up a lot of space, such as photo albums, you need to expand it to 400mm.

If you cherish books and the books themselves are thick or soft , it is recommended to store them horizontally so that the paper will not be deformed due to excessive vertical force.

▲ There is no need to put all the books horizontally, because the text on the spines of Chinese books is written vertically. If all the books are placed horizontally, you can only tilt your head to find the book.

▏Study Room▕​

Friends who have a lot of books can set aside one or two walls in the study to place large bookcases.

It is best to have an armchair and a floor lamp attached to the bookshelf , which is what we called a reading corner before.

▏Flat window in bedroom▕

Friends who don’t have a study room at home can also consider the bedroom.

Do you remember what we talked about before about converting flat windows into bay windows?

Here you can combine bookshelves and low cabinets to create a bedroom reading area .

If you care about this space, you can make the low cabinet higher, put flowers and ceramics on the countertop, or use a thin black photo frame to put your favorite pictures on it.

You can also use storage baskets in low cabinets to store sundries, which ensures both beauty and storage.

If you want to recharge yourself, you can replace the low cabinet with a desk and take notes while reading.

▏Living room background wall▕

If there are two young people living in the house who have no need to watch TV and are instead two bookworms who love reading, then there is no need for a TV background wall.

You can reserve a wall in the living room to customize an integrated bookshelf , but make sure the bookcase and sofa are in the same style.

To prevent dust, you can also install glass doors on the bookshelf.

If there are many people in your family, they are used to the existence of TV, and you have a large collection of books, you can create a background wall that combines bookshelves and TV .

However, open bookshelves easily accumulate dust and need to be cleaned frequently.

Of course, both of these have certain requirements for the area of ​​the living room, and the individual's book collection must also reach a certain level.

▲If you are building a bookshelf for the elderly at home, the height of the bookshelf should be limited to the highest point that the elderly’s fingers can reach, that is, height × 1.2. 

▏Only use part of the wall▕

If you don't have many books or your home is limited in space, you can use a wall in the living room to create a bookshelf using a combination of low cabinets.

The area above the low cabinet can be decorated with a photo background wall.

It should be noted that because this type of bookshelf is relatively low, you need to be careful when mopping the floor or sprinkling water to let the books get damp . Also, friends who have naughty children or pets at home can only say goodbye to it in tears.

But it doesn’t matter, there is a corner bookshelf to save you, which is the hanging bookshelf we mentioned earlier.

▏Entrance▕​​

The apartment has a square layout, but there is no entrance hall. What should you do if the living room and dining room are clearly visible when you enter the door? In addition to the entrance hall cabinet, you can also consider a bookshelf. You can use the ready-made bookshelf as a screen to block the line of sight and divide the space.

Of course, don’t forget to place the shoe cabinet against the bookcase on the side close to the door , so that the entrance will not be flashy.

No matter which room you choose to place your bookshelf, remember that the room must be dry, ventilated, and away from light .

▏ Install cabinet doors or not ▕

If you have a lot of books at home , or if you don’t read often, you can install doors on the bookshelf to prevent dust.

If I have a decent collection of books at home and I can manage them, and I also have the habit of reading for an hour every day at home, then I do n’t need to install cabinet doors , as it will be easier to take books out .