Espresso Mid-Size Kitchen Island with Stainless Steel Top

Comments about Espresso Mid-Size Kitchen Island with Stainless Steel Top:

This piece isn't perfect, but overall it was a great deal and my wife and I are pleased with the purchase. For those who had trouble with the instructions, either Hayneedle addressed the issue or people need to pay more attention when reading. I found them to be clear and accurate. Following them was easy and I had zero issues. Pictures were also clear and easy to see, and EVERY piece of wood and hardware was marked with an identifying sticker(this was nice, but also meant that I had to use a citrus based solvent on every part to get rid of the glue from the sticker. Can't have it both ways I guess :)

PROS
- Looks great! Quality finish and feel.
- Mostly real wood. Structure is all real wood. Panels on door, sides, and back are veneered plywood (which is what it should be to prevent flexing). Shelf inside and stiffeners on backside of stainless steel are particle board, but look good.
- FANTASTIC casters. May be highest quality part in the kit. Great quality non-marking rubber that rolls soooo smooth!
- Quality handles on drawer and door.
- Great space on the interior.
- Screws are good quality.

CONS
- Construction complicated by holes that line up poorly. Some holes had to be redrilled or widened with an x-acto. Not a deal breaker, but annoying.
- Drawer slides are about the cheapest I've seen. They still work decently, but feel pretty flimsy. Perhaps could be replaced if you cared to.
- Bottom of drawer shelf is 1/8" plywood. This is pretty thin. 1/4" is standard. Don't plan on putting anything heavy in here.
- Finish looks great, but is stinky like fresh varnish. This is typical of a lot of imports and in my experience does tend to subside over time.

Overall I would recommend this to anyone who wants a nice looking functional piece, wants to save a little dough, and doesn't mind spending a few hours putting this together. It provides a lot of counter space and storage.

Comments about Espresso Mid-Size Kitchen Island with Stainless Steel Top:

I'd rate it about a 2 on ease of assembly. Good thing I have tools available more than that dinky allen wrench that was supplied. Also, three pilot holes on each side with no plug or covering to conceal where the screws went in to attach front and back.

Comments about Espresso Mid-Size Kitchen Island with Stainless Steel Top:

Was easy to put together, though there are LOTS of little screw packets; be sure to keep them separate. Had to purchase new screws because one broke while putting the sides together. It's not as sturdy as I would like; but you get a good product for this price. It would have been nice to have little "plugs" to put in the screw holes to hide them. The end result is quite nice with the stainless top. I would purchase again.

Comments about Espresso Mid-Size Kitchen Island with Stainless Steel Top:

The drawer slider on the right side was defective. It would not allow the drawer to slide in and out. Our son found a way to fix it but it was very frustrating. We found the picture instructions a little hard to follow. It was easy to miss a step. We had to redo a step and it was time consuming. The overall look of the piece is good .

Comments about Espresso Mid-Size Kitchen Island with Stainless Steel Top:

Besides being poorly construted and flimsey, the cart I recieved was defective.The top did not have drilled holes for the wooden dowels to go in. The back panels of the cart are slightly studery than a piece of card board.