Melamine substitute

[Kylegep]

Melamine substitute?
I was at home depot and saw http://www.homedepot.com/Lumber-Comp...searchNav=true I was wondering how well do you think this stuff would hold up to the humidity of ball pythons? Any other suggestions besides xpvc?

[TheSnakeGuy]

Glad you got this posted right. I explained what I needed the boards for to the lumber guy at Home Depot. He told me that MDF will not work for your purposes. It is basically the same as melamine, but without the white waterproof coating. Eventually the moisture needed for ball python keeping will break down or begin to mold. Best to use melamine or PVC. I just finished a rack out of melamine. I found a local lumber company that sold it and cut it for me. 2 sheets of 4X8' white melamine with cuts only cost me 71$. Not bad for a project when you build it right and know it's gonna last.

[kitedemon]

MDF is not a good material at all. Aside from the very poor resistance to water it is quite toxic. The glues used to hold particle boards together have formeldahyde and/or phenol out gassing. I personally would avoid partiulate boards all together (MDF, particle board <melamine>, chip boards)

[interloc]

Use XPVC. Yes nuts more expensive but its much nicer and lighter.