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September 10, 2007
How close is too close?
We have steam radiators throughout the house. In the dining room, we want to get a sideboard (we've been checking out teak Danish modern items on ebay and elsewhere). The question is, how close is too close for teh wood to get to the radiator before we are at risk of warping from heat or humidity? THe radiator is along the side wall about 24" away from the rear wall. We want to place the sideboard somewhere along the rear wall.
Any advice as to how close we can get? Is one foot away enough to avoid damage?
Comments
I lived in a loft with long horizontal heating pipes instead of radiators and had the same problem. I think a foot away will be too close and dry out the wood. In my case, I wrapped the pipes behind my wooden furniture with insulation, but that might not be possible for you. Only suggestion I can offer would be to construct some kind of insulated divider for the side of the radiator closest to your sideboard. Teak is pretty indestructable, though, so you might be able to do it.
Posted by: guest at September 11, 2007 9:18 AM
We have a Danish Modern teak credenza with open shelves above, in our dining room, and it is the heaviest thing ever. It's tough wood. But even if the wood might not be damaged by the heat, the finish WOULD. And you'll want to preserve the original finish, not have to fix it or redo it. So keep the sideboard at least a foot away.
Why not opt for a dresser that's not so wide as the extra-long mid-century sideboards? I use a piece that's made to be a dresser, in our dining room along with the other piece, and it fits fine, looks great.
Posted by: guest at September 11, 2007 1:14 PM
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