How to Organize & Display a Book Collection : Earthquake Safety for Book Collections
A short video that describes how to properly secure your book cases if you happen to live in an earthquake zone. If you have an expensive collection, this might be also be useful, as an earthquake can happen anywhere. The video is courtesy of Expertvillage.
Securing Book Cases (and other tall furniture)
In addition to the video above, here is some more useful information when securing book cases. When you are securing a book case, be sure to anchor it to the stud and not just the drywall. During a severe earthquake, the drywall itself is not strong enough to keep a book cases from falling over. You may consider using flexible fasteners such as nylon straps. This type of strap allows tall objects to sway without falling over, reducing any strain on the studs. There is also something called earthquake putty, Quake Hold! Putty-White
Here is a step by step guide on how to secure your book cases. This also applies to other valuable furniture such as chinas, hutches, and armoires.
- Locate the wall studs using a stud finder. Here is a stud finder we recommend: KINTREX IRT0421 Non-Contact Infrared Thermometer with Laser
- Secure the book case to at least 2 studs, depending on the size and weight of the book case.
- As an inexpensive option, consider using 4″ L-brackets and 3″ lag screws (available at all hardware stores).
- Place heavier books on the lower shelves to prevent them from flying around during an earthquake.
- If you have multiple book cases adjacent to each other, secure them together with L-brackets and other hardware.
Nylon strap screwed into the wall stud and secured to the top of the furniture
L-Brackets screwed into wall studs and then secured to the top of the book case
