Why Melamine?

[jazzmachine]

My boyfriend and I decided to build a shelving unit(rack system) the other day, from melamine... Lets just say I called/begged my dad to help us build the next one. He asked me "why on gods green earth did you chose melamine?, It has to be the heaviest building material, why did you not chose pine?" I did not know why, he said once this stuff gets wet it will expand and with you misting it, it is bound to get wet. So my question to all so I know, is why melamine and not another type of wood?

Thanks

Denise