There is some debate about wooden sconces as to whether or not they are safe to use in the home with real candles. There are varying opinions about this, but if you are trying to decide for yourself, there are a few simple questions you need to ask yourself. There are also a couple of factors you should consider if you do end up buying or making a wood candle sconce for your home.
With regards to fire safety, most people won’t even give things a second thought before telling you that mixing fire with wood is a bad idea. That is a healthy, reflexive thing to do, but it isn’t always the most efficient way to go about things. Fact is, a large portion of most people’s homes are made out of wood. If there is going to be a fire, there is going to be a fire. If those same people who instinctively say ‘no’ to using wooden wall sconces strictly on the principal of fire where to direct that same type of thinking to their own homes, they wouldn’t smoke, cook with fire, light candles, or do anything else within their homes due to the fact that wood is flammable. If you wish to add candle light to your home, you don’t light a wooden sconce on fire, you light a candle that sits on a wooden sconce!
That being said, there are some legitimate considerations if you do choose to use wooden sconces. First off, it is very important that the chemicals (which are usually quite flammable) used to treat the wood have had ample time to allow whichever solvents where used on them to completely evaporate. If you are making your own sconce, you may consider using fire retardant wood just alleviate concerns. Another thing to consider if you are planning to use wood to make a candle sconce is that it might be a good idea to use wood that wont crack or warp at high temperatures if the sconce is going to be structured in such a way that some of the wood is going to be near or in line of the heat that will be given off by the candle, this will not only ensure that the sconce will last longer, but it is also a safety consideration when you consider the fact that wood can often crack while warping and there is the remote chance that during that event, your wooden sconce could possibly drop a lit candle and start a fire.
Rest assured that professionally made wooden candle sconces are usually made with these considerations in mind. If you are buying wood candle sconces online, and you have worries, simply email the manufacturer.
Using wood to make a candle sconce isn’t as much of a risk as some would make it out to be. Simply use a little foresight when it comes time to picking the type of wood you are going to use, make sure the chemicals used to treat the wood are dry and not going to make the sconce flammable. Above all else, make sure to place your sconce in a spot that isn’t going to make it prone to getting bumped into or knocked off the wall as this is probably the number one safety risk of using any candle or sconce.