Black Melamine

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coastal-shagg

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Ive been able to source some black melamine from bunnings at tuggerah, they said it was actually cheaper then the white version which is suprising. They mentioned that you should use a scribe saw to cut the sheets with instead of your average table saw because it gives a better finish.

Has anyone tried this with or without cutting with a scribe saw?
how did it turn out?

Looking at building some enclosures but dont wanna make it look ****e.

Thanks
 
have not tried my self, but a thinner saw blade with smaller teeth will mean you get less chipping on the edges where your cutting
 
Is that just the melamine (Laminex or Formica or whatever) sheet, or the coated particleboard? The melamine used for covering benchtops etc is a "scribe & snap" product, but is simply a coating to be glued to a substrate using contact adhesive. The black melamine-coated particleboard was quoted to me by Bunnings @ around $166 per sheet, more than 4 times the cost of white. Most supplies will have the black product significantly more expensive than white.

Jamie
 
Yes I'm near tuggerah and interested to know all about this ??? Lisarow actually lol
 
Is that just the melamine (Laminex or Formica or whatever) sheet, or the coated particleboard? The melamine used for covering benchtops etc is a "scribe & snap" product, but is simply a coating to be glued to a substrate using contact adhesive. The black melamine-coated particleboard was quoted to me by Bunnings @ around $166 per sheet, more than 4 times the cost of white. Most supplies will have the black product significantly more expensive than white.

Jamie

The way he described it to me (telephone conversation) is that it was the same stuff kitchen companies make cupboards out of but in black and not white. He said 1800x595mm was $20.95 he said the product code was "black EIL" if i was to ring back and order it
 
I just finished building some enclosures for a mate using black melamine from bunnings in Melbourne. It wasn't dear at all. We used a circular saw to cut it careful with a straight edge and the result was that the underneath edges were perfect but top was a bit chipped. All we did was have the good side facing out.
 

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So bunnings don't have it but can order it?
 
Tuggerah don't have it in Stock but you can order it and you should have it within the week.

Thanks for getting back to me regarding the cutting of the stuff. Those enclosures look awesome.
 
I was looking on the bunnings website the other day and the price that coastal-shagg has quoted is the price on the website for 16mm sheet so it isn't just the laminate. I was rather surprised after reading so often how black is extremely more expensive than the white.

In answer to the OP use the finest toothed saw you can find whether it be circular, Jigsaw etc. and something I have found that also helps a little is to run a strip of masking tape along the cut line on either side.
 
I have been using black form ply to make my most recent enclosures. It seems to be better quality than melamine and the black gloss just wipes clean. It's about the same price as melamine and at this stage I won't be changing back.
 
Thanks for your replies,

umbral, when would you normally use this stuff? I cant picture it in my head?

I'm glad no one has said that I have to scroll it first. I'll probably put something up about my build progress. Thanks for all the help
 
Form ply is used by concreters to frame up all sorts of stuff made of concrete, comes in large sheets like melamine and is probably a lot more water resistant too. It is a laminated plywood rather than a laminated particle board which also makes it a lot stronger than melamine.
 
I use a circular saw to cut mine however I wrap packing tape around the melamine where im going to cut it stops the edges chipping and I don't have to worry about marking my lines on the melamine.
 
If you don't have a circular saw with a scribe I really wouldn't suggest using a jigsaw... Chips and rips and makes a terrible mess.

If I'm doing something last minute at home and cbf to drive to the workshop to use the saw, I use a multitool (like those 'renovator' tools advertised on tv which vibrate on the spot) and a long metal ruler or level.

The masking tape trick works well with this method too :)
 
I'm still a bit confused... I had a look on the Bunnings website and their "Colourboard" listings, and I see black is available only in the smaller sizes people use for shelving etc. Does anyone know if it is available in 2400x1200 HMR sheets? HMR (matrix has a greenish tinge) is the only material that will give a reasonable service life in a reptile enclosure. I wouldn't touch the non moisture-resistant shelving material because it's almost impossible to fully moisture-proof an enclosure, and the standard chipboard just swells & turns to sawdust when it gets wet.

As I said, I was quoted nearly 4x the price of white for black HMR chipboard at Bunnings here in Port Macquarie.

Jamie
 
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