Shopping for new rack shelf material.

So I am renovating my current rack, I bought it homemade from a guy off craigslist as package deal.
(it came with 6 snakes!:gj:). The heat tape setup, and the tubs are perfectly fine, but the rack shelfs are made of fiberboard, which is not humidity resistant, and they are warping and they are basically crap! So my plan is to save the current tubs and heat tape, but remove the old fiber-board rack shelves, and replace them with more water-resistant higher quality rack shelves. I looked into buying sheets of PVC, as it is very strong and totally water-proof, but the sheets are a $fortune!!!, especially when you consider shipping! I might as well just throw the whole rack in the garbage and buy a new Commercial made rack for the price of PVC shelf panels! Plywood seems to be the best choice, as it is more economical and I can get it anywhere. WHAT KIND OF PLYWOOD is humidity resistant? there are so many kinds! I plan on getting ¾" thick sheets to prevent warping under the tub weights, and I want make sure to get something that is resistant to humidity and water, and won't warp like the current el-cheap-o fiber board that the last guy used.

Any suggestions on good rack-shelf materials? I was going to go with a high-grade plywood, and then maybe laminate it with an acrylic paint, or other sealant.

Melamine is the most common DIY rack material out there I believe. It is typically white and can be purchased from Home Depot, Lowes, or similar at 35 dollars for a 4x8 foot sheet, 3/4 inch thick. It is humidity resistant and sturdy, but it can get heavy. They also sell edging in roll form that you apply heat too to make the edges match the rest of the rack if you like a visually appealing rack system. There are loads of DIY videos and guides to help with the process as well.

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Originally Posted by JBRHerps

Melamine is the most common DIY rack material out there I believe. It is typically white and can be purchased from Home Depot, Lowes, or similar at 35 dollars for a 4x8 foot sheet, 3/4 inch thick. It is humidity resistant and sturdy, but it can get heavy. They also sell edging in roll form that you apply heat too to make the edges match the rest of the rack if you like a visually appealing rack system. There are loads of DIY videos and guides to help with the process as well.

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It looks kind of junky, but the protective coating makes all the difference I suppose. Definitely cheaper than high-grade paint-coated plywood! Thanks for the tip.

Might want to consider something like this, as well. That way you can go for a thinner melamine, or top the solid panels making your "lid" with other humidity resistant materials like adhesive linoleum over eucaboard/plywood/etc. Also won't have to worry about trimming out the raw edges.

Assume something like HDPE sheeting would work too. Just gotta check what your materials are made out of and assure they're snake safe.

I use XPVC since my labor time is considerably less and the racks are easier to maintain since they don't absorb moisture over time. The 4' x 8' x 3/4" sheets run about $125 in white. The upfront cost stings but when the racks are put into use I have no regrets about the higher cost of a quality material. Just be sure to spend the necessary time planning the cuts wisely to avoid waste.

If you can find PVC sheets and can afford them, they would obviously be the material of choice......for me, in an area with PLENTY of construction supplies I cannot find them for the life of me.


My vote is for Melamine if you REALLY want to build you own racks. Cheap and it will last quite a while as long as you keep moisture off of it to some extent. It is very heavy though.

If you keep the tops on the tubs you can build a rack pretty cheap. Mine cost me about $30. Holds between 16 and 24 animals depending on tub size. You can see one in the background of this pic.

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...abd_175031.jpg

I just finished my new rack, after shopping around for materials I settled on melamine. I sealed it with silicone and used rods and nuts to keep it from sagging. It's very heavy so I put it on casters. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...4468d793a2.jpg


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Thanks peeps, if you read my original post, I wanted to get xPVC, but the cost is exorbitant for me, and I would have to get it shipped in, which would cost small fortune also. I hadn't considered melamine as being high enough quality, but now that I have looked into it, I think I was wrong. I am going to use melamine because it is so affordable, and I just bought my kids bunk beds, got a huge medical bill, and money is super tight!

Since xPVC and HDPE are such expensive plastics, one day, I will just buy a prefabricated rack from Vivarium electronics and enjoy the professional quality! I wouldn't save enough to be worth it to build my own pvc rack.

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Originally Posted by mdb730

I just finished my new rack, after shopping around for materials I settled on melamine. I sealed it with silicone and used rods and nuts to keep it from sagging. It's very heavy so I put it on casters. https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...4468d793a2.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Excellent build! Thats very close to what I will have when I am done.

How do you guys come up with your build ideas?

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I just finished my new rack, after shopping around for materials I settled on melamine. I sealed it with silicone and used rods and nuts to keep it from sagging. It's very heavy so I put it on casters. https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...4468d793a2.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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That is so cool.. I wish I had some sort of crafty or constructive ability. :(

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Originally Posted by velvetiine

How do you guys come up with your build ideas?

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You stare at the problem, think a little bit. Go to bed. Wake up and then the answer is there.

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Originally Posted by velvetiine

That is so cool.. I wish I had some sort of crafty or constructive ability. :(

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Aside from working a few summers putting up drywall I have zero carpentry skills. It really comes down to having the right tools, clamps are a lifesaver on solo builds.

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Originally Posted by Godzilla78

It looks kind of junky, but the protective coating makes all the difference I suppose. Definitely cheaper than high-grade paint-coated plywood! Thanks for the tip.

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Nothing like a good looking steel or PVC rack, but the cheapness and sturdiness is what seals the deal imo.

I changed my mind, after doing more research, it seems I was correct in that melamine IS junky. It is very heavy, it sags, it swells with moisture... no thanks! It might be fine for some, but when I build something, I want to to be strong and LAST for a long time. I'm still not sure what to use yet. I'm tempted to just scrap the whole thing and buy a commercial PVC rack, but I might still do my original idea of high-grade plywood (much stronger than melamine), and seal it with acrylic paint.

It's not so much that PVC is expensive but that finding 1/2 inch thick at a hardware store is difficult. I know the 1/4 inch thick is about $48 per sheet of 4'x8' but I am not sure the 1/2 inch stuff. I guess the problem is to build a rack with it it might cost nearly as much as from one of the vendors so yea, You might save $50 even $100 but think of the time you are going to spend and if you don't have the right tools then it for sure gets more expensive. Add in that you won't be able to get the cutouts for like probes and heat tape unless you have a router (which gets even more expensive) and you end up spending a lot :(

Idea: instead of using acrylic paint, why not look into deck sealants? They have those paints that keep a deck weatherproof so I don't see why it wouldn't work for a project like this. Once they dry, they would be non toxic to the snakes.

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Originally Posted by Godzilla78

Any suggestions on good rack-shelf materials? I was going to go with a high-grade plywood, and then maybe laminate it with an acrylic paint, or other sealant.

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Originally Posted by Godzilla78

I changed my mind, after doing more research, it seems I was correct in that melamine IS junky. It is very heavy, it sags, it swells with moisture... no thanks! It might be fine for some, but when I build something, I want to to be strong and LAST for a long time. I'm still not sure what to use yet. I'm tempted to just scrap the whole thing and buy a commercial PVC rack, but I might still do my original idea of high-grade plywood (much stronger than melamine), and seal it with acrylic paint.

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I would highly recommend going the plastic route. If you want something cheap and fast, then melamine is an OK solution. Clearly it worked for reptile keepers for many years before the introduction of plastics. However, if quality and longevity are your primary goals, there is really no reason not to go with a plastic rack. Modern materials insulate well, tool similar to wood, and are water-proof.

Buying a commercial rack is certainly the easier way to go. There are a plethora of choices out there that are readily available and some manufacturers (animals plastics for sure) will customize your request. That said, if you really want to build a rack yourself, this is how I would do it:

Material:

Per the above, I would without a doubt select a plastic material to build with. There are tons available from local plastic companies and many can be shipped to you. Eplastics for example, will even CNC pieces to your specifications and then you can assemble a design of your own making. PVC has become the most commonly available plastic for most reptile cages for the following reasons: It tools well, it is water-proof, it can be made flame retardant, and most of all, it is inexpensive relative to most other plastic choices. There is a mishmash of information regarding PVC and out-gassing / toxicity. Some sources claim it is harmless and others suggest carcinogenicity. Personally, I have set my standard to use plastics that are both FDA and USDA approved the best I can. FDA approved for human food contact is generally my preferred metric. Most industrial PVC plastics do not meet this criterion.

Plastics that do generally include: Polyethylene, polypropylene (the translucent material most tubs are made out of), acrylic, and acetal. There are more, but these are the most common. The downside is that these are usually more expensive. For a rack, it probably matters less than an enclosure as they snake is still in a polypropylene tub. My favorite of these plastics is the HDPE (high density polyethylene) that constrictors NW uses, which is a lighter version of King seaboard / starboard. The material is FDA, USDA certified, UV stable, and extremely non-porous. Urates (and everything else) still very poorly making it extremely easy to clean up. If animal plastics used this stuff instead of PVC, they would basically be the perfect enclosures in my opinion.

Design:

This more depends on you and your purposes for the rack. Is the rack for babies / hatchlings? Is it designed to permanently house adult ball pythons? Do you want to house other snakes there?
Either way, and this is more expensive, I would probably do 4-6 shelves with a large ultratherm heat mat recessed into each one that would essentially heat 2-4 tubs on each shelf. I would then have a herpstat 4 or 6 controlling them. One probe for each shelf. You can use a single probe, but it gives you more control with each shelf being individually monitored.I would definitely get whatever plastic material you make the rack out of in at least 3/8" thick, with 1/2" or 3/4" being better. Narrower plastic makes assmebly more difficult as you have less material to work with when screwing everything together.

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Originally Posted by Regius_049

I would highly recommend going the plastic route. If you want something cheap and fast, then melamine is an OK solution. Clearly it worked for reptile keepers for many years before the introduction of plastics. However, if quality and longevity are your primary goals, there is really no reason not to go with a plastic rack. Modern materials insulate well, tool similar to wood, and are water-proof.

Buying a commercial rack is certainly the easier way to go. There are a plethora of choices out there that are readily available and some manufacturers (animals plastics for sure) will customize your request. That said, if you really want to build a rack yourself, this is how I would do it:

Material:

Per the above, I would without a doubt select a plastic material to build with. There are tons available from local plastic companies and many can be shipped to you. Eplastics for example, will even CNC pieces to your specifications and then you can assemble a design of your own making. PVC has become the most commonly available plastic for most reptile cages for the following reasons: It tools well, it is water-proof, it can be made flame retardant, and most of all, it is inexpensive relative to most other plastic choices. There is a mishmash of information regarding PVC and out-gassing / toxicity. Some sources claim it is harmless and others suggest carcinogenicity. Personally, I have set my standard to use plastics that are both FDA and USDA approved the best I can. FDA approved for human food contact is generally my preferred metric. Most industrial PVC plastics do not meet this criterion.

Plastics that do generally include: Polyethylene, polypropylene (the translucent material most tubs are made out of), acrylic, and acetal. There are more, but these are the most common. The downside is that these are usually more expensive. For a rack, it probably matters less than an enclosure as they snake is still in a polypropylene tub. My favorite of these plastics is the HDPE (high density polyethylene) that constrictors NW uses, which is a lighter version of King seaboard / starboard. The material is FDA, USDA certified, UV stable, and extremely non-porous. Urates (and everything else) still very poorly making it extremely easy to clean up. If animal plastics used this stuff instead of PVC, they would basically be the perfect enclosures in my opinion.

Design:

This more depends on you and your purposes for the rack. Is the rack for babies / hatchlings? Is it designed to permanently house adult ball pythons? Do you want to house other snakes there?
Either way, and this is more expensive, I would probably do 4-6 shelves with a large ultratherm heat mat recessed into each one that would essentially heat 2-4 tubs on each shelf. I would then have a herpstat 4 or 6 controlling them. One probe for each shelf. You can use a single probe, but it gives you more control with each shelf being individually monitored.I would definitely get whatever plastic material you make the rack out of in at least 3/8" thick, with 1/2" or 3/4" being better. Narrower plastic makes assmebly more difficult as you have less material to work with when screwing everything together.

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I completely agree, 100% that plastics are the best choice, but the $$costs and $$$shipping are exorbitant. I ordered high grade oak plywood and exterior deck paint to water-proof it all. It will just as good as plastics...but HEAVIER :(. I would have preferred plastic, but there is nothing local and the costs of what I wanted for the large rack was too high.

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Originally Posted by SDA

It's not so much that PVC is expensive but that finding 1/2 inch thick at a hardware store is difficult. I know the 1/4 inch thick is about $48 per sheet of 4'x8' but I am not sure the 1/2 inch stuff. I guess the problem is to build a rack with it it might cost nearly as much as from one of the vendors so yea, You might save $50 even $100 but think of the time you are going to spend and if you don't have the right tools then it for sure gets more expensive. Add in that you won't be able to get the cutouts for like probes and heat tape unless you have a router (which gets even more expensive) and you end up spending a lot :(

Idea: instead of using acrylic paint, why not look into deck sealants? They have those paints that keep a deck weatherproof so I don't see why it wouldn't work for a project like this. Once they dry, they would be non toxic to the snakes.

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Yep, you are right, I ended up ordering the deck paint. :gj: