Materials used in the fabrication of museum structures and museum furnishings may cause cultural artefacts to deteriorate. This problem can be avoided by ensuring that these materials are compatible with the artefacts in the museum's collection. In addition to defining certain parameters related to the deterioration of artefacts, this article will discuss several types or materials in terms of their chemical compositions and certain other properties. Procedures will be suggested for choosing materials. Finally, the article emphasizes the advantage of including specifications for materials in construction plans from the very beginning of a project.