This buffet server exceeded my expectations! 1) To start with, it was the most carefully packed and ready to assemble furniture product I’ve ever purchased. Each piece was individually wrapped with styrofoam in between; nothing was damaged or scratched. 2) The buffet is actually a hard wood as described. 3) The instructions are detailed and clear and yes, it did take most of the day to assemble by myself. 4) After assembly, it was solid and sturdy - looks perfect in my dining room. I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase Home Styles brand again for other furniture needs!TO START THIS IS AN OVERVIEW OF THE UNIT WHICH HAS NOT BEEN PUT TOGETHERS AS I BEEN CHECKING PART BY PART:Pros:The pieces and the unit:1) Not MADE IN China BUT in Thailand2) LOOK and FEEL sturdy3) Well finish, NO PAINT SPOTS OR RUNS NOTICE4) Very well packed thought delivery was terrible a 51 KG box (101 LBS) left resting against my front door, REAL SMART.The CONS portion, may I say to those that have never assemble a product or worked in assembly will need patience and follow step by step assembly instructions and common sense.CONS:1) No matter how well a product is made, it is my opinion that if a person pays $634.00 that product should be at least 80% assemble as today the equipment for 90% of factories are AUTOMATED.2) At 101 LBS (51KG) the unit should be divided into smaller weighted boxes, specially today when boxes are recycled and cost pennies (EXAGERATION BUT UNDERSTANBLE TO WHO WANTS TO.) for packaging3) If the consumer is going to put the item together the least it can be done is name the hardware for where it will be used in packets.4) Adding a notice in the instruction that once the unit is put together will be heavy would help with strain backs if moved from the assembly are to where the buyer wants it.If during assembly I find more PROS or CONS I will edit the narrationWe got it to replace our kitchen pantry as we needed to move somewhere else to make space in a kitchen. We went for real wood as everything else we saw seemed had various issues with the quality. After some issues with delivery as item arrives in 3 boxes and we didn't get all of them at the same time, we got to assembly part. We were prepared to spend at least 5 hours on it so we did base first night and hutch on a next day. Base was most time consuming with many pieces to put together. Everything was very well organized, labeled, and, except few chips at the bottom part, good condition. Every set of hardware clearly labeled so you can easily match it to instructions. You need to closely watch instructions and labels on pieces to put them in a right order and direction. If something doesn't fit properly most likely you need to switch sides, reverse direction or tighten bolts. Don't force anything too hard or you going break things. I suspect this is when people had problems, had to drill new holes when they've put things in a wrong order. It happened too is to when we had to put wooden screws through the pre-drilled holes in a back and couldn't find them. They were inside instead ?. So for the base I put them from inside and for hatch I knew about those pre-drilled holes and watched for them closely. They are not very visible if you don't look closely and have enough light. This is the place where you want to use a drill to get a bit into the back panel or you'll have troubles to get your screws straight in there. Not too deep, maybe 1/8" or so just to help screws get a proper direction. I certainly would advise to have 2 people for this if you can. Much easier when you need some support, turn things around, correct each other at the critical moments and certainly when you need to lift hutch on a base. Don't rush things, have enough lighting, prepare to spend 5 or 6 hours and you'll find it not stressful at all. You'll need a few very big trush bags for your clean up after you've done as there is a lot of packing materials to keep your buffet beautiful. Last note - don't expect too much extra space from this item. It's very useful but not for keep it all kind of storage. With that noted it's a very nice, and heavy, piece of furniture which we put it in our dining room. I can finally see, and get quickly, wine glasses, plates, etc. I think it's worth money and efforts spent.This much better quality than I had hoped for. It weighted more than I had expected but it went together fairly easily. A little extra care was needed putting the top together. Just take your time and you have a fine product. NO scratches or dents.Now her China and silverware is in a cabinet instead of a bunch of boxes.They included an extra screw or whatever hardware in case of a problem. That worked well for me, I dropped and lost a part. It has a good finish to the wood.Love, go perfect with my Momma’s dining room set