Why does everyone use melamine?

[Animals As Leaders]

I was thinking last night when I went downstairs to my fathers wood shop why everyone used melamine when you can use wood. Not pine, but I believe he said it was maple? And its ALOT more sturdier then melamine. I was just wondering why everyone insists on using it. I am going to be building a rack very soon and I'm trying to see what the best options are. Also, I think its cheaper to buy maple then melamine so someone fill me in here.

[flynn]

I think one of the big reasons is that even with wood, you will still have to seal it with some kind of water based urethane. As long as the melamine is not damaged and you keep moisture away from the cut ends, you're fairly safe as far as moisture goes.

Although melamine does have its downsides, not having to wait for days on end for the sealed wood to air out is worth the extra cost for me.

[saber2th]

I think melamine is cheaper. You can buy a 4 x 8 x 7/8 sheet at Lowe's for $29.99, that can make a small rack. And it does not have to be treated due to humidity, and easy to clean.

[Animals As Leaders]

Yeah, but I'm seeing a lot of people complaining about sagging problems w/ melamine and I don't like that at all. I don't want any kind of sagging

Also, its birch not maple sorry for the mix up. My father said he paid 20 bucks a sheet BUT its kind of hard to find and they don't always stock it which kinda blows...

I really would like to stay away from melamine just so I don't have to worry about replacing a rack every year. Unless some of you know ways to keep it rigid? I want to make a CB70 tub for my females so it needs to be able to hold the weight of some bigger girls for a long time.

[flynn]

Melamine will sag if the shelf is very wide. If your planning on building the rack so the tubs go in width-wise then it shouldnt be a problem as the unsupported end will only be around 18" or so. If your planning on a length-wise rack then you will have an unsupported shelf almost three feet long, which will sag (measurements are guestimated but you see the point).

You can use wood if you want, you just have to seal it.

[steveboos]

What are you wanting to build? A Drum kit? those are the 2 most common woods used for drums. Most people who have sagging issues with melamine are because they have had the rack for years, not just one year. Anything will wear over time, that's a given, but Melamine is a great option because it doesn't have any odor to it, it lasts a long time. I think your discrediting melamine, if you spend $200 on nice looking and well built rack that lasts 5 years, i consider that a good investment. I also notice that it is hard to find large sheets of Maple or Birch and plus to paint and seal the wood to look nice takes a while and still doesn't look as good as the smooth surface of melamine.

Plus i don't hear anyone having problems with a well made 32 qt and hatchling racks, most of the sagging is due to breeder racks and racks that weren't made well enough, or the humidity is way too high in the building, etc. Just look at your situation and see why like 80% of the reptile industry who can't afford freedom breeder racks use melamine.

[MustBeSatan]

Depending on how many bins you want to put in your rack, it's very easy to make a rack that wont sag. With wood, moisture will be an issue, and frankly if you use plywood the same thickness as melamine it will have the same sagging issues if you make the shelves too wide and dont support them in the middle. Also, sealing would be such a hassle, not to mention the toxic fumes wood sealer produces, you'd have to let it sit quite a while. Melamine ftw.

[m00kfu]

Build it with proper support and it won't sag.

I will say that I don't like the weight of melamine. I built my first 41qt rack out of 1/2 inch plywood for that reason. Unless you spend a LOT of time sanding and finishing the wood for a very smooth finish, you'll definitely feel the roughness of the wood when you open and close tubs. I also have a 41qt rack I built from melamine, and the tubs slide MUCH nicer on it, plus I didn't have to spend any time finishing the wood like I did on the first one. It really is a trade off. I just wish I could find a decently priced source of XPVC around here to build my racks out of.

[zeke]

Melamine is good stuff. I used it to build lockers for a gym a few years back .. As long as you have support you will be good.. If the opening is goin to be big just add some maple to the under side of the shelf 3/4 x 1" and the length of the shelf and it will make it rigid, on that note thought you will have to put a skin over those supports to act as you top for the tubs..

You can get iron on edge banding to cover your cut edges, there are many choices , also you can get melamine edge banding too.. Melamine is good stuff as long as it's sealed tight your good to go..


It's what I will be using to build my cage setup for my BP's. And you can get the melamine in different colors too not just white.. I have maple veneered sheets.. Good luck with the build, post pics when done.


Cheers

[chromeitout]

As others have said, for the cost, clean look, and pre-finished benefits it can't be beat for the money. Just make sure you plan your rack well, and as I believe I saw above, try not to go over 18" wide on a shelf without supports. I believe the only benefit to a wood rack over a melamine one would be weight. And also stated above, I'd also love to find an affordable local XPVC dealer.