Rack building materials???

[JenHarrison]

I bought a Sterilite 1960 rack from Animal Plastics, but only got a 3-shelf one. I need another to house more adults but don't want to drop the kind of cash it takes to buy one.

I want to build a rack to the same specifications (obviously with more slots), but where can I get good materials? Lowe's has melamine shelving, but they're pre-cut and not wide enough. Is there a better material out there, more similar to the high-density PVC that AP uses? Where can I get it and how much would I roughly need to spend?

[ivylea77]

I got melamine from Home Depot. I was told that Lowes only carries the precut, HD however had sheets for sale that I had them cut to specific dimensions so I didn't have to. The drawback to melamine is that it is freakin heavy. Pictures to come soon, but like you I didn't want to drop that much cash. I never built much but I have to say that I really impressed myself with this.

You might want to check out Natures Spirits racks too. They seem real reasonable and have great feedback.

[xdeus]

Hi Jen,

I looked into HDPVC a little while ago as I was building a new rack and didn't want to go the melamine route again. The problem is that it's pretty pricey and if you get the high quality thick stuff that won't sag, you'll only end up saving a little compared to a built one. You get the big material discounts by ordering quantity of the stuff. If you want to check around, call up some sign shops in the area. They usually have a lot of different types of plastics available. Just don't try to save money by getting thin plastic. It'll sag eventually. Even my 10 slot AP rack is sagging on the last couple of shelves and I've only had it a year.

If you want to go the Melamine route, try Home Depot. They seem to have a better selection of Melamine than Lowes for some reason.

[greenmonkey51]

Menards has a pretty good selection, They've got 4'x2' peices of melamine for 10$.

[JenHarrison]

Menards has a pretty good selection, They've got 4'x2' peices of melamine for 10$.

I thought about that, but we don't have those down here in Texas. Makes me miss home even more.

I'll check out Home Depot and see what they have, thanks for the tip. How would I go about routing a groove into the shelving for heat cable...would a Dremel work on melamine?

I've heard a few people say their AP racks are starting to sag...what causes that? The tubs aren't that heavy at all, even with the snakes, substrate, and water dishes inside. Is it the constant heat?