I consider myself fairly handy and have assembled plenty of pieces of inexpensive furniture over the years...this cabinet is a beast to assemble once you get to the doors! Having read through the reviews, at least Im not alone in my utter frustration.
I put the cabinet itself together with relative ease, despite the ridiculously bad instructions. And when I say bad, I mean almost useless.
Some advice on the cabinet portion- look at the photos in the manual CAREFULLY, and tighten the cam screws fully while leaving the standard screws just a tad loose (trust me, youll need to adjust those screws later in order to get everything to line up better).
However, when it came time to attach the doors, I didnt know whether to cry or chuck the thing into the yard. Let it be said that the hinges are probably the least intuitive hardware Ive ever encountered. Seriously.
Im embarrassed to say that I literally attached those hellish doors wrong at least five times. Yes, they beat me and beat me good.
All I can tell you is that the hinges need to basically go on in a way that seemed upside down, inside out, and backwards. In other words, if they look completely wrong, youve probably nailed the enigma that is this blasted hardware. Also, dont try to get clever and mount those demons onto the doors first (as I, in my desperate quest to figure them out, did). You will not win, and you may strip the crappy screws, enlarge the even crappier predrilled holes, and end up in the fetal position, weeping and cursing the furniture gods.
Once the dang thing is together, tighten all those dumb screws. Youll most likely notice that the doors dont line up (inevitably, based on most of the reviews and my own experience), the magnetic closures arent sufficient, the entire thing is wobbly, and youve just lost hours of your life that you cant get back. The good news? Once you screw in the back pieces (more ridiculous and teensy screws, yay!), the cabinet becomes more sturdy. A note on this- do yourself a favor and use heavier wood screws, at least in the corners. To fix the magnetic closures issue, either buy real ones at the hardware store and drill new holes to affix them, or use the 12 pound- rated Command strips if youre looking for a quick fix. While youre there, you may as well pick up some felt stick-on furniture circles, in case the cabinet legs are uneven.
All in all, the cabinet is fine as a light duty piece of furniture, which is what we needed. I definitely dont recommend getting this if you are looking to store anything heavy (books, stereo equipment, as a TV stand, etc.). Its fine as an accent piece, or for light storage, little more.
A Nightmare to Assemble
I consider myself fairly handy and have assembled plenty of pieces of inexpensive furniture over the years...this cabinet is a beast to assemble once you get to the doors! Having read through the reviews, at least Im not alone in my utter frustration. I put the cabinet itself together with relative ease, despite the ridiculously bad instructions. And when I say bad, I mean almost useless. Some advice on the cabinet portion- look at the photos in the manual CAREFULLY, and tighten the cam screws fully while leaving the standard screws just a tad loose (trust me, youll need to adjust those screws later in order to get everything to line up better). However, when it came time to attach the doors, I didnt know whether to cry or chuck the thing into the yard. Let it be said that the hinges are probably the least intuitive hardware Ive ever encountered. Seriously. Im embarrassed to say that I literally attached those hellish doors wrong at least five times. Yes, they beat me and beat me good. All I can tell you is that the hinges need to basically go on in a way that seemed upside down, inside out, and backwards. In other words, if they look completely wrong, youve probably nailed the enigma that is this blasted hardware. Also, dont try to get clever and mount those demons onto the doors first (as I, in my desperate quest to figure them out, did). You will not win, and you may strip the crappy screws, enlarge the even crappier predrilled holes, and end up in the fetal position, weeping and cursing the furniture gods. Once the dang thing is together, tighten all those dumb screws. Youll most likely notice that the doors dont line up (inevitably, based on most of the reviews and my own experience), the magnetic closures arent sufficient, the entire thing is wobbly, and youve just lost hours of your life that you cant get back. The good news? Once you screw in the back pieces (more ridiculous and teensy screws, yay!), the cabinet becomes more sturdy. A note on this- do yourself a favor and use heavier wood screws, at least in the corners. To fix the magnetic closures issue, either buy real ones at the hardware store and drill new holes to affix them, or use the 12 pound- rated Command strips if youre looking for a quick fix. While youre there, you may as well pick up some felt stick-on furniture circles, in case the cabinet legs are uneven. All in all, the cabinet is fine as a light duty piece of furniture, which is what we needed. I definitely dont recommend getting this if you are looking to store anything heavy (books, stereo equipment, as a TV stand, etc.). Its fine as an accent piece, or for light storage, little more.