Melamine Sag?

[blackcrystal22]

Those who have had experience with using melamine, what is your difficulties with sag problems?
I'm working with a carpenter friend of mine and he tells me that theres a definite problem with sag using melamine. Methods to fix this?
We may have to use some support dividers between the tubs to decrease the amount of sag?

The rack is going to be 4ftx4ft. :]

He suggested plywood instead, but I'm worried about splinters and don't know what kind of paint is safe. :[
Thanks everyone.

[771subliminal]

if your worried about splinters sand it down first, noone ever get splinters from a hardwood floor. as for paint i am not an expert but i would think that any non-toxic paint would work if this still worries you, you could always cover it with a sheet of plexiglass and it would solve both probs in one shot

[SatanicIntention]

I would recommend not making the rack 4 ft wide. Melamine/particle board is very heavy, but it's also not very sturdy. I would make the rack 2ft wide or less and make it taller instead of wider. much less chance for sag.

If you're using 32qt tubs, you can make it to where either 1 32qt tub will fit on a shelf sideways or two 15-qt tubs will fit on the shelf longways. I have a rack like that and while it is heavy, it's very sturdy and doesn't move/sag. I can get you the measurements for it if you want it.

If you're building it for 41qt tubs, make it deep instead of wide and don't make it to where other tubs will fit too. It will make it too flimsy and apt to sag. I have a 41qt rack that holds 6 tubs and it works well.

[littleindiangirl]

Back at the Bed bath and beyond, we had to drag around melamine shelves for fixtures and crap. They were really heavy, and 4 feet wide.

They we're tough though. We had marble bath stuff (like toothbrush holders and tissue boxes,) the boards held. We're talking close to 150 lbs per shelf, but we also had these nifty metal brackets on the front of the shelves to prevent the bowing.

Even when we didn't have them loaded down with weight, they naturally bowed under their own weight.

I'm not exaggerating how heavy they were. I worked in freight processing. I lifted, carried and opened heavy boxes all day long. These things were large and awkward for me to carry.

I'd try for some simple plywood. It's way cheaper and nice when sanded.

[Argentra]

Plywood!! Cheaper, lighter, easier to work with.

My rack shelves are 3/4" thick exterior grade ply, covered on the tub side with plastic sheeting. I did put a coat of poly on all the wood before building, just for extra protection. And the paint I used was Latex based Rust-Oleum. Just make sure you let it cure outside for about 3 days and it's good to go.

I'll be using melamine shelves for my hatchling rack, and I already have the wheel casters for it just to be able to move the thing. I wouldn't be using melamine at all, but I had bought/cut it for another rack plan that didn't work out, so now it'll be a hatchling rack.

[blackcrystal22]

So the stuff was bought, and my carpenter friend isn't too worried about it. He said he has some plans to fix it if it's unstable.
First he's going to install a very sturdy backboard on this thing. And if it still needs support we're going to add a few slide-in dividers to support the middle section.

:]

[wilomn]

So the stuff was bought, and my carpenter friend isn't too worried about it. He said he has some plans to fix it if it's unstable.
First he's going to install a very sturdy backboard on this thing. And if it still needs support we're going to add a few slide-in dividers to support the middle section.

:]

Use dividers from the beginning. With that much space, 4 feet, it WILL sag over time.

[jonf]

what Wil said...........

it WILL sag but there are ways to get around it. Wooden dowel rods also work like dividers. Plus they are cheap and you can cut them to whatever size you need.

[MarkS]

If you don't brace it correctly, ANYTHING that big of a distance across will sag, even plywood. I've got a home made melamine rack that is 4 feet across and it does sag a little bit. It's not THAT bad and it's still usable but it looks kind of funny. It's been in constant use for over 10 years and it is a HEAVY sucker.

A better idea is to make the rack one tub wide instead of three, and make three separate racks instead of one. The shorter width will reduce any sagging to almost nothing. A problem with plywood is that you should use really good quality stuff and seal it well or over time it can warp and make it harder to slide the tubs in and out. You really don't get any warping problems with melamine.

[Joe_Compel]

I would recommend not making the rack 4 ft wide. Melamine/particle board is very heavy, but it's also not very sturdy. I would make the rack 2ft wide or less and make it taller instead of wider. much less chance for sag.

If you're using 32qt tubs, you can make it to where either 1 32qt tub will fit on a shelf sideways or two 15-qt tubs will fit on the shelf longways. I have a rack like that and while it is heavy, it's very sturdy and doesn't move/sag. I can get you the measurements for it if you want it.

If you're building it for 41qt tubs, make it deep instead of wide and don't make it to where other tubs will fit too. It will make it too flimsy and apt to sag. I have a 41qt rack that holds 6 tubs and it works well.

4 feet does sound wide and aweful permanent. A smaller rack (or several smaller racks) will cut the sag issue. A four foot by four foot rack is going to be tough to get though most doorways depending on how deep it is. Even if you build it in the room, at some point in time you may decide to move it. Melamine racks don't go through the break down/reassemble process too well.

I used melamine racks for years.....made all my own. To date, they are among my favorite type of racks. But they are heavy....borderline ridiculous heavy. They don't travel well (as in moving to a new house). Once the open ends of the melamine sheets get wet, they swell. Once they swell, bins get stuck. So be sure to cap them or seal them with the iron-on seam stuff. Melamine is super strong in certain directions but really weak in others. For all those reasons, I have done away with almost all of my melamine racks. Still, you can make an awesome rack out of the stuff if you do it right.....and my ball pythons seemed to love those racks.

Like Satanic mentioned, build your rack around the tubs you decide to work with but don't be afraid to spend a little more on melamine to make two or more smaller racks rather than one big one.