Sealing of MDF to prevent corrosive emissions

The provision of non‐damaging environments is the essence of preventive conservation. Emissions from wood and wood products are known to pose a risk to certain types of artefacts within enclosed display cases or storage areas. However, wood and wood products have several utilitarian properties that make their use particularly desirable. A strategy that has been suggested is to apply a surface barrier to seal wood products and reduce, or ideally stop, the emission of harmful vapours. Twenty‐eight sealing materials available in the UK, and several methods of application, have been evaluated in this study. Ambient temperature and heat accelerated corrosion tests with lead have been used to rank the efficiency of the sealing methods. The emission rates of both organic acids and formaldehyde from sealed MDF have been measured. A wide range of sealing efficiencies on MDF was determined and suggestions are included as to the suitability of different methods for different situations.