why melamine?

quick question why does everyone use melamine for there racks?whats wrong with good old plywood!!!

The white/black coating is good at withstanding the humidity associated with proper husbandry. I use particle board and just coat it with polyurethane, same effect, less aesthetically pleasing but also cost 50% less.

I used medium density fiberboard for the first couple I built and that kinda works if supported really well, but the heat and humidity that the wood is constantly subjected to will cause warping problems quickly.

I would say that Plywood works great. It is a bit more expensive than the melamine which would be an obvious choice for melamine, however, melamine is soo heavy... If your young like me and always moving, heavy snake cages can be a pain to lug around.

Here are a few photos of my current enclosures which are built out of 1/4" ply wood and 1" thick supports. Total weight is about 10lbs. So travel is a cinch.

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...keCAGE1web.jpg

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil.../cage_web1.jpg

Another thing to consider with melamine, is that it may need to be sealed to keep out moisture. This is easily done with plastic liners and such that are commonly seen on desks draws and cabinets. If you have ever spilled a glass of water on particle board you know how quickly it swells.

So in conclusion, melamine because its heavy and wont topple easily, durable if properly sealed, and cheap. But, I choose plywood because it is good too!

Probably more than you cared to hear but, that's why melamine.

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Originally Posted by Bobsean

So in conclusion, melamine because its heavy and wont topple easily, durable if properly sealed, and cheap. But, I choose plywood because it is good too!

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Melamine because you don't have to seal it for racks, for caging yes, but with tubs the only part the moisture is affecting is face of the board and it already comes sealed, so no problems there. only problem comes in the edges of melamine, because their obviously not sealed.

tho i wouldn't call it cheap, compared to most other commonly used wood, it more expensive but worth the money if you ask me. and its heavy because its dense, which means it holds heat good.

also an added bonus is the edgeing you can buy, so even a moron like me can make it look professional.

Because melamine is clean, effective, easy and cheap.

Melamine is really very easy to use and scratch, stain, and water resistant. I have minimal carpetry experience (shop class in the 8th grade) and I was able to work with melamine well enough to make a very nice 4 tub rack.

If it came to caging, however, I would go with plywood + a combonation of tileboard, plexiglass, and sealant.

Bang for your buck though, melamine is the material of choice.

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Originally Posted by Bobsean

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil.../cage_web1.jpg

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wow can u take a picture of the front? not only is that a cool little setup, it LOOKS cool (which i didnt expect from that color) and u can see ur snakes!

more pics of this plz =D or msg me a link so i can see em

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Originally Posted by h00blah

wow can u take a picture of the front? not only is that a cool little setup, it LOOKS cool (which i didnt expect from that color) and u can see ur snakes!

more pics of this plz =D or msg me a link so i can see em

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Ya thats realy nice, "mayor envy" :taz: lol. My 2 BPs are next to my bed too... but in tubs :(. Do you have any pics on how you made that. Maybe you could explain in another post if you dont mind :D