Quote Originally Posted by DBD View Post
Hmmm Yeah i guess thats a problem with the center of the particle board (inner part of the melamine) bending in because of its weight... Well, i just built a melamine rack and already cant wait to trash it Sad right? At this point with so many snakes, its definitely worth it to save up for a nice professionally made rack (boahphile,animal plastics, vision, rbi)... They will most likely last a LONG time, you will never have any sliding problems, bubbling problems, nor sagging problems... I just cant wait till i save up my money to buy myself a nice vision rack, and some nice baby racks, so i can get rid of all my melamine racks, which are SO heavy and are always having problems...
As with most wood and wood products, there are different grades of melamine. I have racks that I built in 1993 that are still in use. Most home improvement stores sell a cheaper grade with a paper coating instead of a plastic(melamine) coating. The density of the particle board is alo another issue. Most counter tops and cabinets in your home are made from particle board. The best place to buy your melamine is from a mill shop or a custom cabinet shop. Tell them what your are using it for and the specifications and they will get you the right stuff. I can build two 10-space racks for less than what most cage builders charge for one 5- space rack.

As for sagging, I've seen more sagging in plastic caging than any other type.