Melamine Rack alternative?

[scooterc]

So I already have a white melamine rack (Peter Williams design)..and i don't really like the "White Look"...I'm really looking for the Black look to match everything else in the reptile room, However i've been to 3 local hardware stores and no one carries the black melamine!!!....I like working with wood, so is there anyone who has built there rack out of wood, if so what kind of PAINT/STAINS/POLYURETHANE etc is safe to use?

Any comments or views will be greatly appreciated.

[Spaniard]

Have you tried looking for a local lumber yard or perhaps asking a custom cabinet store? You might have luck finding the black melamine there.

[dr del]

Hi,

I have to order the black stuff specially every single time.

If you stick with the plain rather than mock woodgrain effect it costs the same as the white stuff over here.

I just use the local timber merchants. It can take a while to arrive though if their supplier has none in stock so order ahea in plenty of time. I get mine to cut it as well once I have the tub dimensions so all I have to do is assemble and tweak.


dr del

[scooterc]

So using wood is out of the question then?

[jason79]

I built mine out of 3/4 sanded plywood and used water based stain and polyurethane. you will need to let it cure for a good week for the fumes to go away. I have pics of this rack on my iherp page click the thing in my sig to see it.

[OhhWatALoser]

just about anything is safe to use as long as its cured b4 the animal gets introduced to it. personally I stick with water based paints. I know mythic paints claim to be non-toxic, never used it or really researched them tho, check them out.

[DrawnToLife]

You can use wood, looks nicer but for the inside where the snakes will be able to make contact with the wood you should coat it with a few coats of epoxy to waterproof and for the outside where they won't be around use a water based paint or finish, I have a Wood setup with hinged glass doors for a rack, only tanks are filled and then i have a show tank as well, not a fan of putting snakes in a tub, the insides are epoxy coated for water proofing and it honestly looks like a nice centerpiece in my room, so I'd go with wood, looks nicer pretty cheap and easy to use, very strong, and with the right finish will last much longer than the melamine.

[J.Vandegrift]

On my hatchling rack I used melamine, but the high humidity started deforming it a little so I covered the bottom of each piece with clear contact paper. Worked great and is holding up very well. I don't see why it wouldn't work if you are using natural wood as well. It is easy to wipe down as well.

[mechnut450]

built 2 racks out of pine plywood never sanded or sealed it. since the snake tubs and rack were set up wit hthe lids installed. ( this way I can pull out thetub and set down if I have to replace the flexwatt with worrying about a runner escaping.) I used 3/4 for the sides and back andshould usethe same for the shelves. I did use pieces of 1x2 to attach the shleves to the side ( shelves are screwed to the rail( 1x2) which is screwed to the side plywood).

Here a picture of the finish rack. ( had to cut and place supports to the front and back( not seen) cause I used the thinner 1/4 thick plywood for the shelves.