I am so excited about my new cabinet in my sewing room -

http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-133308-1.htm

My question-- this is a beautiful HEAVY made of wood - no partical board. The drawers are dovetailed - the draw runners are made of wood on wood. It has a stain finish. Which I still have to clean with my mom's special furniture cleaner - probably have to make up a new batch - don't there is any more remaining in the garage.

My question is, if I store fabric in it (s FQ in the pull out shirt drawer) - do I need to line the drawers? If so, with what?

I thank you for any help you can give me.

I would personally line the drawers with something that is acid free. Even if it meant that I had to buy some scrapbooking paper to do it. I would be afraid after time that the wood would do some type of damage to the fabric. But then again I don't know much but I do know whatever you line the drawers with should be acid free.
Good Luck and I am sure that someone will come along with something good for you. :)

I would also line the drawers. It's better to be on the safe side than sorry latter.

A couple years ago I attended a "Tuesday Talk" at the International Quilt Study Center & Museum, in hopes of getting some ideas on hanging the UNL Employee Quilt Show - the first one we had done. The topic for the talk was a Behind the Scenes look at rotating the displays.

Here is a few notes I took, that may give you an answer.

"Not just any items may be used as slats to hang the quilts. They used to use wood covered in Urethane, but that took 2 weeks to dry sufficiently!
Next they tried taking raw wood, and covering it. They could not use only raw wood, because wood gives off a gas that can harm the cotton textiles. So, they found a product called Marvel Seal which is a foil type product that you fuse onto the wood. In a matter of minutes they could take the wood, and have it sealed well enough to protect the fabric. Much better!"

And, not exactly on topic, but still good advice:
"He showed us a Cigar Jacket that had been used in a show. The fabric was old, and they wanted to protect it. They decided to put the jacket on a mannequin, but once they set it on the mannequin they realized it was NOT a ladie’s jacket, but was a man’s! Well their mannequin is a petite woman form, and evidently the man the jacket was made for was rather barrel chested and portly!
Jonathan wrapped some foam around the mannequin until the right shape seemed to fill out the jacket correctly. Over the foam he then wrapped some polyester so that the foam did not touch the jacket. He said that cotton muslin is also a good barrier. He said that plastic or foam should not touch cotton."

Hope this helps.

Would freezer paper work to line the drawers? I use that in my dresser drawers - but stuff gets stirred around in some of them.

Wood stain is not acid free and will ruin your fabric over time. Stained shelves/drawers are safe only if they are well sealed with urethane and since you say they will have to be cleaned with some special mix, I assume they have not been sealed. Whatever is in your mother's "special furniture cleaner" is most likely not acid free either.

You can easily line the drawers with Rubbermaid clear Con-Tact paper which is acid free, readily available and reasonably priced.

And as an aside, a well-known quilt preservationist that I have spoken with has no reservations about cotton being stored on or in plastic as long as there is ample circulation of air.

Wood products contain acid that will gradually eat away at fabrics. This includes regular paper, including freezer paper, tissue paper, etc. -- all wood products. Paper that has been treated to remove the acid is sold as "acid free" or "archival quality" paper, but it is very expensive.

The contact paper idea sounds good. You can also line the shelves and drawers with fabric. Inexpensive, washed white sheets can be cut up to act as liners, providing a barrier between the wood and your stored fabrics. I would maybe spray-baste the white sheeting to the shelves and drawers.

As someone else mentioned, polyurethane is safe. One way to avoid using liners is to cover the wood with a coating of polyurethane. (I've never done that, so don't know easy or hard it is!)

thanks for this information

If you are storing fabric in drawers, don't forget to line the sides since they will come in contact with the fabric as well.

I wonder if the easiest solution is to just urethane the insides of the drawers, so you don't have to worry about any liner slipping? :D:D:D

Did I mention the ton of scrapebook paper I have in another closet - great idea - thanks

So Marvel Seal is like an aluminum foil (as example) and not a liquid sealer that you brush on?

What a wonderfully informative topic. Just bought wood shelving to place fabric on....didn't even think was bad for it. Thanks.

if you don't want to use acid free paper, then even old sheets/towels placed would work..just remember you even have to cover the sides! at least the wood is stained..that is better than bare wood...but really, only cedar and pine leach oils really bad..hard woods generally do not leach the acid oils that turn fabrics yellow.

NO...you NEVER seal the wood of a chest of drawers or cabinet....the wood can not breathe and will eventually rot...it will also produce more urethane gases...