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 Replies: 12 / Views: 1,532 |
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Valued Member
United States
216 Posts |
As my numismatic library expands -- recently with a large number of auction catalogs -- I'm starting to wonder how much weight I can have in a given room or on a given floor.
Currently, my library is a bedroom on the second floor with 6 bookshelves (three 6' height and three 7' height) -- that's somewhere around 100 linear feet.
One linear foot of Kunker catalogs weighs in at 42 lbs. They're pretty big, so using that as an upper limit, that's a potential of 4200 pounds in one second floor bedroom. I have plenty of standard sized numismatic books & smaller auction catalogs, so I figure the bookshelves will be around 3000 lbs when full.
Is there a weight at which I should start to be concerned?
I feel like this is probably a weird question (does anyone actually read physical books anymore?), but maybe some people in a forum like this have run into the same issue.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19108 Posts |
One factor to consider is when your residence was built--1800s? 1900s? 2023? Another factor is how the floor immediately below your library is configured structurally--wide open? Adjacent to a load bearing wall?
Edited by ijn1944
07/29/2024 6:17 pm
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Valued Member
 United States
216 Posts |
The house is newer -- built in 2002. (Not sure if that's a good or bad thing...)
Three bookshelves are against an outside wall. The other three are against a wall above the living room (no lower supporting structure).
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Moderator
 United States
34393 Posts |
Just thinking a little outside the box here--can you store some items that you only need to very occasionally reference in the basement? That way you could save the books and catalogs that you need for more frequent use upstairs?
"If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
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Pillar of the Community
United States
592 Posts |
Standard live load is 40 pounds per square foot in a modern house, USA.
That being said there is the "5" factor which is a normal calculation for maximum load before catastrophic failure.
Before this would happen you would expect there to be other warning signs, ie. cracked ceiling beneath, creaking noises etc.
So yes common sense would dictate if it is to much weight.
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Valued Member
United States
216 Posts |
Quote:
Just thinking a little outside the box here--can you store some items that you only need to very occasionally reference in the basement? That way you could save the books and catalogs that you need for more frequent use upstairs? I could, but I just feel it's inappropriate to not treat numismatic books they way they deserve to be treated. :) In all seriousness, I imagine I'll have to divest catalogs without pertinent info over time... which probably means they'll sit in boxes in the basement for decades while I figure out how to get rid of them. Quote:
So yes common sense would dictate if it is to much weight. I feel there's a general shortage of common sense in today's world, and I must admit I'm a member of today's world. I honestly don't know if 500 lbs on one bookshelf on a second floor room is a smart move... let alone six of them in the same room. This sounds like something covered in a statics class, which is outside of my field of knowledge. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
94367 Posts |
Only logical answer: get an independent answer from a civil engineer.
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Valued Member
United States
216 Posts |
Quote:
Only logical answer: get an independent answer from a civil engineer. That's probably the most definitive way to go about it. I was hoping I wasn't the only person with lots of old coin books, and others might have gone through something similar  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3467 Posts |
Another option would be to speak with a local building inspector. Your city/township/county offices should be able to put you in touch with one of their staff familiar with local building codes and standards.
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Moderator
United States
187446 Posts |
I was going to offer some past experience that may have been tangentially relevant, but ultimately I feel the best advice is getting professional opinions from an engineer or building inspector.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
592 Posts |
Or from an experienced licensed General Contractor  |
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Moderator
United States
187446 Posts |
Quote:Or from an experienced licensed General Contractor That, too.  |
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Moderator
United States
94614 Posts |
I have had or have to worry about that. My house is a 1 story on a concrete slab - so this thought never entered my mind.
However that being said, I still place wood boards under my shelving to raise them up an inch and a half from the carpet so my vacuum cleaner wont scratch the shelving unit - I suppose that it would help to distribute the weight as well.
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Replies: 12 / Views: 1,532 |
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Posted 07/29/2024 6:43 pm
