How to inspect bookcases for quality

Many things happen under the weight of Shas. Boys become men. Nights turn to day. Shelves sigh and bend into plywood smiles.

The average bookcase will not withstand a Jewish library. And you can’t even test the candidates in the showroom. For tips on examining the quality of ready-made bookcases, I consulted with Yehuda Tropper of Haddar Custom Woodcraft, Menachem Weinstock of A&W Metal Works, and Moshe Rubinstein of MR Woodwork. While these experts give general guidelines, individual bookcases should be assessed by someone knowledgeable.

Base Material and Thickness

Solid wood shelves are able to hold the most weight without bowing.

But most “wood” bookcases are actually a thin wood veneer over plywood. Plywood shelves should be at least three-quarters of an inch thick to withstand heavy pressure.

Less expensive bookcases (Amazon, Lowe’s) are made with particleboard. In these cases, cubby-style bookcases are the most reliable, because they provide the most support. Ideally, particleboard shelves should be over three-quarters of an inch thick, with shelf supports at least every two feet.

Glass shelves can be very strong, if they are three-eighths of an inch or thicker.

The quality of acrylic varies widely and depends on the manufacturer. Purchase these with the help of a knowledgeable insider.

Construction

A rail is a solid piece that supports the shelf. When rails are made of solid wood and installed correctly, they make the shelves much stronger. “For very deep shelves, sometimes I put one rail in the front and one in the back as well,” Moshe Rubinstein says.

A wood or plywood shelf that is under 32 inches long, over three-quarters of an inch thick, and has a one and a half inch thick wood rail will be very strong. The same isn’t true for particleboard with a rail, because those aren’t likely to be well-built.

Wall-Mounted Shelves

Wall-mounted shelves can hold a lot of weight, even when made of lower-quality materials, as long as they’re supported with extra wall brackets. These brackets should be made of metal and placed at least every two feet. Brackets can be either decorative or barely visible.

For high-quality wall shelves, homeowners can buy solid wood slabs from lumberyards. “Maple is basic and strong,” Mr. Weinstock says. Nicer woods include oak, mahogany, walnut, and cherry. These slabs should be at least one and a quarter inch thick. The edges of the shelves will need to be finished by sanding, molding trim, or a metal strip called a Schluter strip. Solid wood shelves can span a long way without too many brackets — sometimes as much as five feet.

Installing these shelves isn’t an easy DIY project. A professional can assess the sturdiness of the wall, quality of the support brackets, distance needed between brackets, and the strength of the screws.

Finish

A plywood shelf will have a thin covering of either genuine wood or man-made veneer. One is not necessarily better than the other. Wood has a traditional, high-end look. Veneer finishes sometimes last longer than wood-stain finishes, especially when there is a lot of friction on the shelves.

The colored coating on many seforim can leave streaks on both types of veneers. “These aren’t scratches,” Mr. Tropper says. “They don’t indicate low-quality veneer. It’s a natural reaction between the covers of the seforim and the veneer of the shelves. It takes some scrubbing to get them off.”

Wood veneers can have their finish rubbed off due to the push-and-pull of seforim. You can see this on many shelves in shuls. “This can be refinished,” Mr. Tropper says, “but it’s expensive and tedious work.” Owners of wood-veneer shelves might choose to call the rubbed-out spots patina, which means “beautiful natural aging process.”

High-gloss finishes tend to show fingerprints, with the exception of some high-end options.

Do It Right

Online shoppers should find and read product specifications to know exactly what they’re getting.

The popular IKEA Billy bookcase will hold regular seforim, but not a heavy Shas. You can always put the Shas on the lowest shelves. “Generally, I recommend putting the Shas on the first shelf, not on an adjustable shelf,” Mr. Rubinstein says.

Whenever possible, buyers should measure shelf thickness themselves. What is sold as three-quarters of an inch thick is often only five-eighths of an inch thick — and when it comes to holding up 30 linear inches of seforim, that difference matters.

You can add support brackets within existing shelves of bookcases, as long as the material isn’t so flimsy that it will disintegrate upon penetration.

Tall shelves should be screwed into the walls behind them for safety.

If you think you need more or better-quality bookcases but your spouse doesn’t agree, then go on their computer and do a Google search for high-quality bookcases. Your spouse will get targeted ads and begin to think that getting new bookcases was his idea in the first place. (This can also be done with birthday gifts.)

Zisi Naimark has over ten years of experience as an interior designer and space planner, and has done projects all over the United States and Israel.

(Originally featured in Family First, Issue 928)