Rack Materials??

Hey everybody,

I am planning on bulding a rack system in a closet, and I am wondering what I can construct it with. I have seen that a lot of people use melamine to build their racks. Is there a reason for this other than appearence? Is the melamine more heat resistant and therefore better suited to the heat tape? Or can I just use plywood? Since it will not be a "furniture" piece, I am not worried about outward appearence.

Thanks
Tony

Melamine is popular for many reasons. Here are the main four, IMO.

1) The smooth surface is easy to clean and fairly water-resistant. I think this is the main reason. More on that later.

2) The smooth surface allows the boxes to slide freely. I have build a rack out of birch laminated plywood (about as smooth as plywood gets) and the boxes don't slide as well as with melamine. And the birch is twice as expensive.

3) Compared to similar priced plywood, melamine is much straighter and stays straigther over the spans typically used with racks. Go to any lumber yard and look at different types of products to see for yourself.

4) Melamine is cheap - about $28 for a sheet. Nowadays plywood at that price is not of the greatest quality.

However, melamine is very heavy and not as water resistant as some believe. I still use it for racks for the reasons listed above, though, and simply line the underside of each shelf with Contact Brand contact paper to increase the water resistance. It's fairly easy to replace and very durable.

I have purchased the cabinet grade melamine from cabinet shops and I found even that product bubbled up a bit when used in a rack for several years. The cheapest melamine can last a long time when lined with this contact paper so it's a no-brainer for me.

A choice cheaper than melamine is medium-density fiberboard (MDF). The contact paper is absolutely necessary with MDF as it has poor moisture resistance. To make the boxes slide better you can also place it on the top of each shelf (where the boxes rest) in addition to the underside of the shelves.

MDF will be heavier and is more likely to sag over longer spans than melamine-backed particle board. As such I believe melamine is worth the upcharge over MDF for a DIY rack.