Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am going to construct a rack similar to the one that Markus Jayne has on his website. I have been looking for sheets of melamine to use to build around my tubs but haven't had any luck in finding big sheets or the dimensions I need.

However, I did find sheets of solid pine that are perfect size and density that would be great to use and are fairly priced. I was just wondering how the pine would hold up with heat and humidity. Would I have to seal the pine and coat the wood with a clear coat of sealent? And would this work??

I have never used pine for building a rack, so any help or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

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Michael

If you use heat tape directly on the wood shelves, the shelves will most likely warp quite a bit, making the rack unusable. Better to use melamine because it doesn't warp with heat. What do you mean you can't find melamine? It is sold in 4'x8' sheets at any Home Depot.

What do I mean I can't find melamine?....well, exactly that. Don't assume every Home Depot in the US carries sheets of melamine. I did however find another supplier that had exactly what I needed and even cut the pieces for me.

Yeah I decided to stay away from pine after thinking it over.
Thanks anyway
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Michael

Is there a way to use pine without it warping? How much is the cost of malamine compared to pine? I need to build a rack and I don't know a whole lot, so any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Kevin