Build or Purchase: Rack System?

I have built my own and bought them. My first was a melamine rack that held 10 tubs and weighed a ton. Then I built them as 5 tub racks to make it easier to move. I have built them out of plywood to cut down on weight and expense because melamine is usually a little more $ and definitely heavier. I finally bought a freedom breeder cb-70 rack and then made a set of plans off of it so I can weld up my own. Making my wood racks usually cost me around $50-100 depending on the size of racks and tubs. Welding my own freedom breeder style racks costs me about a thousand total which is a huge savings from buying them at $2500-2900 each.... but you need to have the tools and welding experience. In my opinion building is the only way to go because I can't afford to buy most of this stuff new and I can always make time to work on it on my weekends.

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Originally Posted by Mike41793

Theres no need to paint the melamine. The coating on it prevents humidity from warping it. Eventually your rack may start to bow in the middle if its too wide without support.
Also ive read somewhere melamine is fire retardent. Like it cannot catch on fire by itself. Im not positive on that though...

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It is moisture resistant, but I have seen it swell up with excess humidity and fall apart inside of 2 years.