Acceptable Wood for Cellar Construction??

[Grancru]

I am preparing my plans for building a large cellar for all my homemade wine and debating what wood to use for the racks (small budget). I cannot afford Mahogany or Redwood. I see people using pine but my research tells me it will mold over time at proper humidity levels. I am considering oak but it is also a softer wood and not inexpensive.

What are you using and have you had any experience with mold over long term storage. Any ideas are greatly appreciated.

 

[roadwarriorsvt]

I would think if you stained and used some type of sealer or urathane, mold wouldn't be a problem. Pine is a soft wood and the weight of the bottles may cause the wine rack to bow or bend. I'd stick with some type of hard wood.

 

[garymc]

Any wood will mold. Glass and chrome will get mold on them but can easily be cleaned and can take harsh chemicals that will kill mold.

 

[Grancru]

There are many woods that are used for cellaring because they do not mold when held a a proper cellar temp and humidity (55 degrees and 70% humidity).

No different than cedar is used for cigar humidors because at 70% humidity it does not mold. Problem with cedar is the pleasant odor it gives off can invade your wines. Mahogany or Redwood are also proven to not mold at proper humidity but get expensive. I see pine being used but it is far to soft, will mold, and I would never sleep with my wines at risk of the wood giving way. I am looking for a reasonably priced semi hardwood/hardwood that will give me long term peace of mind yet within my budget.

My question is to those that have built racking, what wood they used and are you satisfied with the outcome (if cellar is held at a proper humidity level). No mold, no bowing, no collapse, ect.

 

[dessertmaker]

Oak is significantly stronger compared to redwood, and has the same decay resistance rating.

http://www.winecellarinnovations.co...d-choices-beyond-the-top-5-the-first-chapter/

Here is a brief summary of the properties of some alternative wine cellar woods. It's divided into chapters, the link to each chapter is at the bottom of the page.

 

[dillybar]

I am a "wood" guy and my preference would be to use a quality hardwood. If you can find it you might try Lyptus. It is a S. American plantation specie imported and looks a lot like mahogany or even cherry.

If your cellar is properly maintained no wood will mold or rot. The MC% of wood at cellar conditions will only reach about 13%, this is far below what is required to grow mold. A common mistake is to allow your racks to be in direct contact with concrete that has soil on other side. Or to allow condensation to form, which is easy to get at cellar conditions.

Keep in mind also that most hardwoods are dried to 7-9%MC. So they should be condition at cellar conditions as much as possible before building. A 4-6% increase in MC does seem like much but it will produce some swelling and movement in the wood that you may not like in your finished racks.

Mike

 

[BeerAlchemist]

My understanding is that white oak does much better outdoors (wet/humid tolerance) than red oak; however, I would be interested to hear if that would be of any significance based on what dillybar said. I also wonder how good a choice plywood would be as quality ply is supposed to be very stable. Finally, cedar has outstanding anti mold/fungus properties, it will virtually never deteriorate as long as its not stuck into the ground. I would not be concerned about the odor as the smell won't permeate the cork; however, if you are using the wine room to barrel age or make wine that would be a different consideration.

 

[dillybar]

White oak is significantly more resistant than red oak. Neither would be considered soft as was stated earlier. A properly dried and conditioned rack made from any wood should stand up just fine in a properly maintained cellar.

The pic included was made from Lyptus.

Mike

 

[dessertmaker]

I Donno about ANY wood, I've seen woods like pine do some freaky things. But I do live in South Louisiana, our humidity is typically much higher than 70%.

You are correct about oak though. It is definitely considered a hard wood.

 

[JOESILVA401]

I'm currently building mine with Cherry as it was next best to Mahogany! Cherry with poly and stain; should be okay right???

 

[dillybar]

Cherry will look great and last a lifetime.


Mike

 

[JOESILVA401]

Being installed tonight! Stay tuned for my after photos....

 

[rob]

As hardness goes oak is in the middle of the road, 1/2 of all wood is harder and 1/2 is softer. American cherry is a lot softer than Brazilian cherry. If your looking for something to line the walls you might look at a flooring product. Very competitive. Trust me I sell the stuff

 

[JOESILVA401]

Done! Finally....

 

[BeerAlchemist]

As hardness goes oak is in the middle of the road, 1/2 of all wood is harder and 1/2 is softer. American cherry is a lot softer than Brazilian cherry. If your looking for something to line the walls you might look at a flooring product. Very competitive. Trust me I sell the stuff

Wait a second, aren't the folks selling something the exact folks we shouldn't be trusting about the product