The TRUTH about melamine racks...

[chromeitout]

Well, I have built several racks of different styles for my reptiles and have a love/hate for different things about each one. I'll explain my racks and what i do and do not like about each, and hopefully some of you with different sizes/styles will do the same. If you are kind enough to post about yours, please be honest about the warpage/sagging or other likes/dislikes with that particular kind (ex. your rack has BARELY started sagging where the tubs are just a LITTLE tight leaves room for improvement). I am always striving to create a better affordable rack for the diy'ers and am about to build a fairly large shoebox rack for my upcoming hatchlings.

My first one is a 11 high 28qt lidded Sterilite rack. It fits 1 28qt per shelf or 2 12qts per shelf. The tubs w/ lids were fit to where they barely compress as you slide them into the rack. This rack has been in use for about 2 1/2 years and works exactly the same as it did when I built it... no warpage, no issues at all, but I can't stand the lids. It takes WAY to much effort to do simple things like checking water and dropping a second food item in.

The next one is a 12 high lidless "sideways" 41qt rack. This rack is nice without the lids, but with the weight of my large female balls and water dishes it has begun to sag a bit. A couple of the tubs are a chore to get in and out now. I will NEVER build another one like it.

The third is a 6 high lidless 28qt Sterelite rack. Same dimensions as the first rack, holding 1 28qt or 2 12qts per shelf, but shorter due to being lidless. This rack is also very nice being lidless, but it has begun to sag just a very little over the course of the 2 months it has been in use and a couple of the tubs are beginning to get a little snug.

I guess what I'm looking for in the order of replies is what type of lidless (diy or bought) racks do you use, how long have they been in service, and do they sag AT ALL. I'm thinking that a 3 wide shoebox rack with no supports will sag as well. Also I'm wondering if a 28qt rack turned the other way would go without sagging. Anyway, this post is long enough... we'll see what you guys have to say.

[PyroPython]

So the one that has no lids, but is exactly the same as the one with lids is sagging?

Could this be a humidity issue? Causing the wood to sag?

I just build mine today, it is lidless. Bottom shelf has a sideways 60 quart tub but the rest is for 3 28 quarts in each row. Obviously no sagging yet, but Depending on how that lidless thing goes it may start to sag soon.

[AndrewGeibel]

I have an Animal Plastics cb70 rack and i feel confident that i could stand on it constantly without it sagging. It is half inch PVC which to most people seems like overkill and maybe it is ... but i know i won't ever have to worry about it not being strong enough.

[Patrick Long]

Melamine over 3' in length with NO middle support will sag.....period.

Its not from humidity, water, or anything else....its gravity.

[nicktreb]

melamine is the plastic stuff that's on the wood. you can get it on all sorts of different kinds. i have 3/4' mdf melamine. it's heavy but very sturdy.

[chromeitout]

melamine is the plastic stuff that's on the wood. you can get it on all sorts of different kinds. i have 3/4' mdf melamine. it's heavy but very sturdy.

This is true. The only thing that is locally available here is melamine covered particle board, not mdf. So, what size/style is you're rack, how long have you been using it and does it sag AT ALL?

I feel that the reason my lidless rack is beginning to sag and the lidded is not is due to what I posted up top, the lidded tub rack was built so that it compresses the lid about an 1/16" when the tub is inserted. So, the tubs are actually acting as a support, thus no warpage. The lidless ones were built with a 1/16" gap.

And for the AP rack, I have never had the pleasure of messing with a plastic rack, so how long have you had it in service?

[saber2th]

I was thinking about building a rack out of melamine that will house ten 15 qt. tubs. Two side by side and five tall. The tubs are 10 3/4" wide x 16 3/4" long, so the shelves would have to be around 21 3/4" x 17". Do you think there would be any chance of warping with this size? And, is there any benefit to keeping the lids on?

Thanks,

Dave

[mechnut450]

me I just use the lids as an extra layer of anti escape protection. then again I don't use the melamine wood. I get the regualr plywood( not the partivcal board stuff) and my saggign is cause hte actual shelves were made with the thin ( like 1/4 inch ) plywood. I not sure if I use the 1/2-3/8 thick boards if i have the sagging issue. I will find out in a couple years or so when I replace the racks. ( never expect more than 3-5 years out of wooden units.) I built mine as dyi but I set mine up were the tub sat on the shelf and the the next shelf was laid ontop and the braces were screwed to th side andthe shelve was then fasten to the top of the brace piece ( thus ths gave me a loose fit soI was not pushingon the flexwatt or damaging it when forcing tub in and out. ( hope to ge replace the shleve later on ( since wet they started to mold a little ( never stick washed/wet tile on a shelf they take forever to dry and allow the mold.)these shelves are getting a bleach scrub tomorrow since my niece does not have school and can help me by making sureI don't spill the bleahc water ( again) all over myself.

[chromeitout]

I was thinking about building a rack out of melamine that will house ten 15 qt. tubs. Two side by side and five tall. The tubs are 10 3/4" wide x 16 3/4" long, so the shelves would have to be around 21 3/4" x 17". Do you think there would be any chance of warping with this size? And, is there any benefit to keeping the lids on?

Thanks,

Dave

This size is close to the dual 12qt racks I have (shelves are 24"w x 18"d). As I've posted above the lidless rack is beginning to warp a little. I am going to add a vertical divider in the center of each shelf and only use them for the 12qt (no more 28qts) as I have decided that I will not build another rack with a shelf wider than 18" unless it has a support under each shelf. If you build the rack you are speaking of and add the center dividers I don't think you'll ever have a problem. Some may see this as unnecessary, but without more replies, we'll never know. I just know that I'm sick of ANY sag.

I built a new rack today for 28qt's turned the other way (18"w x 24"d), so we'll see how this works out over the next few months.

I hoped to have a more responses to this thread about peoples diy rack configurations, so that we could all have better knowledge of what does and does not work (as I have seen MANY pics on here of warped racks). Maybe, people don't want to admit that their designs could use improvement?? As for me I think it would be highly beneficial to all of us because I hate to see guys (and gals) spend their valuble time and money on building a rack and excitedly post it on here and from my experiences just know from the first look that it's gonna warp (some badly).

Oh, almost forgot about your ? about benefits of using lids... I suppose this is a matter of opinion so you may get different answers, but I can't stand them. When I built my lidded rack (my first rack, and only lidded rack) I only had 8 snakes and didn't even notice the lids were a problem. Now I have around 100 and it just takes too much time to pull the tubs all the way out, sit them on a table, take off the lid, etc., etc., when without them you just pull them out a bit, spot clean, change water, whatever, and slide them back in.

[saber2th]

Now the dividers shouldn't have to go all the way to the back, right? So you can still run your Flexwatt tape across the whole shelf in one piece. I would just have to make the rack a little wider, 3/4". I don't think I wil keep the lids either.
Thanks chromeitout!