Size matters!

If, like me, you've tried looking for pine bookcases online then the first thing you want to know is what size the flippin' thing is so you can tell whether or not it'll fit in the space available. So why is this information so difficult to come by on some websites?

When confronted with dozens of bookcases that all look pretty much the same, I want to know how tall, wide and deep it is. Some retailers are pretty good but others are dreadful. If you see something described as a 3ft bookcase you want to know are they talking about the height or the width? And are the shelves adjustable or fixed? (and how many shelves are there?).

I feel better now I've got that off my chest but c'mon guys, if you want me to buy then give me the information I need.

Is it cheaper to make my own pine bookcases?

I consider myself to be reasonably good at woodwork and so a little while ago when I wanted a bookcase I thought I'd save some money and build my own. I was surprised to find out that I cannot buy and make a pine bookcase for less money than it costs to buy one ready made. I have the woodworking tools to hand but the cost of timber from the DIY store came to more than the cost of a similar sized, fully assembled bookcase delivered to my door.

Now I accept that 'my' bookcase can be custom built to be a perfect fit in the alcove where it is wanted, but when all the effort and time is taken into account it's not really worth the trouble. It's like buying a cooked chicken in the supermarket. I can't buy and cook a chicken for less money than buying one ready to eat!!!

Why pine is the best cheap bookcase

I suspect that most people looking for a bookcase on the internet are looking for something to do a job (that is, store books) rather than a smart piece of furniture. Therefore price is the primary consideration - provided they are convinced it will do the job required without collapsing.

There are cheap bookcases available, made from MDF or chipboard, but these really are a false economy, as they will not provide long service if fully loaded with books. The best solution is to buy solid pine - and the reason is simple.

MDF and chipboard are both made from particles of waste timber that are compressed and glued together. Under load (in compression, to use a technical term) both materials are remarkably strong. The problem is that, to take the example of a shelf loaded with books, the top surface of the shelf is being compressed but the effect on the bottom surface is to pull it apart (in tension). MDF and chipboard are not good at resisting this pulling apart and will soon sag or fail completely.

Pine on the other hand is equally as good as MDF in compression but also contains long fibres that provide good strength in tension. In other words, these long fibres make it much harder to pull pine apart - which is what happens in the bottom surface of a bookshelf. A demonstration of the strength of pine fibres can be seen in that pine roots can be woven together to form strong ropes for lashing poles together.

All woods contain these long fibres but pine is one of the cheapest woods, so a bookcase of pine is usually the cheapest way to acquire a strong, serviceable bookcase.

Pine bookcases for a cheap practical solution

From personal experience, finding somewhere to store lots of books can be far more of a challenge than might be expected. Take a look at lifestyle magazines and you see rooms with dozens or even hundreds of books all arranged in an attractive, artistic fashion - just how much time and money do these people have?

Me, I have a pile of books (well, several piles) and need to put them somewhere out of the way but where I can find individual books when I need them. The obvious solution is to trot along to Argos or Ikea, find the cheapest bookcase that holds the biggest number of books, take it home and screw it together.

Now, this can work pretty well - provided you can find some way to suport your chipboard or MDF creation on each side to stop it developing a middle waist spread under the weight of books. I've also found that the shelves don't carry solid rows of books very well and will eventually sag. Then you end up with the books supporting the case, rather than the other way round.

The solution experience has taught me is to buy a bookcase or bookcases made from solid wood. Ideally they should be a proper carcass or cabinet that has already been fixed or glued together by the manufacturer because these are far stronger than the screw together variety. Wooden shelves have a greater strength than manufactured board and are much less likely to sag under the weight of books.

You can choose all kinds of wood, including oak, acacia or whatever takes your fancy. The only restriction is the budget you have available - and this is why I like Pine Bookcases. Pine is about the cheapest timber you can get, it offers all the strength needed for a bookcase and, because most pine in this country comes from managed forests in Europe rather than the other side of the world, its less damaging to the environment.

Manufacturers are far more inventive with the choice of styles available these days and even offer a choice of finishes including waxed, lacquered and painted. One such manufacturer is PD Global. Their website can be a bit tortuous to navigate but this is a link to their bookcases page. A search for the company on Google should also show some of the retailers where you can buy their bookcases.

Oak & Pine Furniture

Whenever buying Pine & Oak Furniture it's always a good idea to mindful of the quality of your purchase.

Realistically look out for the words Solid Wood. The more detail the retailer shows on an item the better. So in the case of Bookcases the shelves, backs should all be solid wood if your paying top doller.

Naturally if your buying from cheaper sources then you have accept that some of MDF in the bookcase.

New Furniture Blogs

As I spend a lot of my time blogging about furniture I've recently gone and bought a few new domains:-

Dwell Furniture
Talking about the company, their quite a new bunch and have expanded rapidly.

G-Plan Furniture
Whilst Dwell is fairly new G Plan are much older! Same sort of site though.

Heals Furniture
At the time of writing it's not yet up but this company ancient established 1810!