How to Store Wooden Boards in Your Stockroom
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Wood keeps reacting to its surroundings long after it leaves the workshop. A board can warp or crack in a stockroom before it ever reaches a customer. A few rules prevent that.
1. Keep the climate even
Store boards in a dry room with a steady temperature and normal indoor humidity, roughly 40 to 60 percent. Avoid damp cellars and unheated rooms that swing between cold and warm.
2. Keep away from extremes
Not beside radiators, not in direct sun, not against a cold outside wall and not directly on the floor.
3. Stack flat and evenly
Lay boards flat on a level shelf, same sizes together, so that every board is fully supported. Do not lean them at an angle for weeks, and do not put heavy boxes on top of thin boards.
4. Leave the packaging on
Original packaging protects against dust, scratches and quick changes in humidity. Open it only for display pieces.
5. Let deliveries acclimatise
After cold transport, leave the cartons closed in the stockroom for a day or two before unpacking. Wood moved straight from a cold truck into a heated shop dries too fast.
6. Rotate stock
First in, first out. Mark cartons with the delivery date and look through the stock every few months.
7. Look after display pieces
Boards on the shop floor sit under warm lights and are handled every day. Oil them about once a month and swap them from time to time. Do not leave boards in a sunny window for long.
8. Check on arrival
Open one carton from each delivery, check the boards for flatness and damage and photograph any problem straight away. Report it to the supplier with the delivery date.
Checklist
- Dry, steady climate
- Away from heat, sun, floor and outside walls
- Flat, fully supported, sizes together
- Packaging left on
- One or two days to acclimatise
- First in, first out
- Display pieces oiled monthly