The TRUTH about melamine racks...

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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Originally Posted by 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.

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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?

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? :confuzd:

Thanks,

Dave

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.

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Originally Posted by 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? :confuzd:

Thanks,

Dave

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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.

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!

Mines measures 4*2(sides) and 2*2 shelves. It holds 6 tubs high, so it holds 6-32qts with 6-6qts next to them or 2-15qts or 3-6qts per shelf. It's really up to me and what i need so very versatile i think. The 6qts i have to leave the lids on, good thing they are the locking lids. It's fairly new so no problems.

I have not built my Melamine setup yet. But I can say that it will sag from being to long. you need support in the middle and if you dont have a back on the unit that will help from saging. If you can double up the layer where its sagging and screw them to each other the sag may go away, but I'm not sure how bad it is... I say this from experiance being a custom cabinet maker for 4 years and now I build cases for museum's to display items.. Support is what is needed. just my two cents have a good day.


Cheers:gj:

Try checking locally for expanded PVC board. You may be surprised, I was able to find someone who carried it here. It's a little more expensive than melamine board, but it's much lighter, and sturdy.

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Originally Posted by 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!

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No, I wouldn't think so if you put a back in it (I use the 1/4 predrilled pegboard) and attatch it to each shelf.

No need to thank me, I'm trying to get all of the info I can about rack warpage in this one thread so we can choose an almost foolproof design for our racks that will benefit us for years to come. You know... the companies that build and sell the nice racks really do have a good product, but some of us have the skills to build as well, can't afford several of them to house our animals, and for me I enjoy the DIY part as much as the rest of the hobby. Who says we shouldn't be knowledgeble about what works and what doesn't.

The more replies we get the more we'll know... that's what is great about this forum. I should have started the thread something like this, though...Looking for info... please post a description of your DIY racks with sizes, how many and what kind of tubs each shelf holds, what it is made of, how long it has been in service, has it warped AT ALL, or any other info that would pertain to what you did to keep it from warping (dividers, supports, bracing, etc.).

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Originally Posted by jben

Mines measures 4*2(sides) and 2*2 shelves. It holds 6 tubs high, so it holds 6-32qts with 6-6qts next to them or 2-15qts or 3-6qts per shelf. It's really up to me and what i need so very versatile i think. The 6qts i have to leave the lids on, good thing they are the locking lids. It's fairly new so no problems.

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Thanks for the info! Please post back if you do notice any issues later.

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Originally Posted by WingedWolfPsion

Try checking locally for expanded PVC board. You may be surprised, I was able to find someone who carried it here. It's a little more expensive than melamine board, but it's much lighter, and sturdy.

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I would love to try XPVC and have not looked for it locally yet. What sizes are your racks, thickness of XPVC, how long have you had them in service, and are you saying that they have not warped?

I use hard plastic racks... they are about 5 years old and still working fine. No sagging or warpage at all.