Sauder Palladia Library With Doors, Wind Oak finish

It's a rite of passage for adults: putting together those pre-fab furniture items. I've been doing it for a long time, and it's only recently that I've discovered that some of them are better than others. For instance, I've noticed that Ikea bookshelves have a little notch cut out of the back bottom to accommodate baseboards. But this piece here, this is now the crowning champion as far as I'm concerned. I do some carpentry in my spare time, and I really was able to appreciate the attention to detail that went into this shelf unit. Just as an example, the card stock backing that comes with virtually all shelves comes in this case with the veneer on *both* sides (most manufacturers leave one side blank as a cost-saving measure) and with pre-drilled holes that line up perfectly with the shelf so that you don't have to mark or guess where the shelf is. Parts are well-designed and typically only fit together one way: the correct way. That's a huge plus when you consider the number of times I've put a part in backward only to realize far later down the assembly process and have to take everything apart and then do it all over again correctly. Not with this item; things fit together smoothly. The instructions are great, with the screws being used for each step shown on the page actual size, so you can simply hold a screw up to the diagram and tell if it's the correct screw! Nice! And the ultimate test of a good kit: do they include extra screws? In this case, the answer is yes. I consider it the epitome of miserliness for kits to come with EXACTLY the right number of screws, because if you lose or damage one, you're (excuse the pun) screwed. This kit comes with a few extra of each screw/nail, so if you lose one, you're ok. Frankly, I wasn't looking to spend this much money on a shelf, but I'm glad I did, and feel I got a great value for the dollar. Quite frankly, other than using real wood instead of particle board, there isn't much room for improvement on this shelf!

This is my second piece of furniture purchased from this company. Unfortunately once again, not all of the parts are labeled for identification. Also this time one of the wood pieces was cracked 4 inches up the side of the piece (M). I had no choice but to continue with the assembly or leave everything scattered all over the floor while I wait on a replacement piece that I may not get. Then I found out that I was also short 4 Twist-Lock Fasteners. This means that I have to worry if this piece of furniture is stable. Unfortunately this reflects very poorly on the company and what could have been a very beautiful piece of furniture. Maybe someone else will get lucky and get a complete product with no damage!

This bookshelf is exactly what I wanted for my living room reading nook. It was delivered on time, and the first thing I noticed was how well it was packaged to prevent damage during shipping. I decided to use this opportunity to teach my 11-year-old how to assemble furniture. We talked about the importance of reading and following the directions, and making sure we have everything we need before we begin. I compared it to a cooking recipe to help him understand why you need all the right parts, tools, and to do things in the right order. We took an inventory of the pieces that were in the box and familiarized ourselves with them. We gathered the required screwdriver and hammer. We cleared plenty of room on the living room floor. Then we read step 1. My intent had been to assemble the bookshelf with the assistance of my son. However, after working side by side with him through step 3, I stood back and let him do the vast majority of the assembly. Yes, a preteen was able to assemble this unit with only the occasional extra hand to line things up. It took him about 4 hours and I am pleased with the finished product.

I ordered 6 of these units as an alternative to built-in shelving for a room we are using as a library. 3 out of the 6 units we received had a damaged "M" piece -- that's the rounded molding on either side of the open shelves. Two of them were entirely snapped in half within the box, and the third had been crushed such that its veneer was severely cracked. It was very easy, however, to order replacements for these parts via Sauder's website, no questions asked, and the replacements arrived within a few days. I had considered docking a star for the sheer rate of damaged units (50%, in my sample), but I think Sauder made it right so quickly and easily that they deserve their star back. The shelves themselves look fantastic. They are a little darker than we were expecting based on the pictures, but they are indeed a very dark cherry, with a slight red hue. We have them arranged in two rows of 3 on opposing walls, and they look very good side-by-side. They are able to sit flush next to each other because there is no top or bottom molding on the sides of each unit. The main material used is pressboard, and the moldings are little more than dense cardboard with a veneer, but you wouldn't know it to look at them. The assembled units are very sturdy, and we have each shelf entirely filled with books with no problem. Assembly wasn't bad; it was about average for ready-to-assemble furniture. Sauder's instructions are always accurate and easy to follow, and this was no exception. Almost all of the pieces, however, were missing their labels, and this made the first unit harder to assemble than it needed to be. With my second unit, I started using a drill to fasten wood screws, against Sauder's instructions. This sped up assembly a fair amount, but I wouldn't recommend it until you learn which screws may strip their holes, how tight they need to be, etc. The longest single part of assembly was hammering all the tacks into the backing. The most frustrating part was attaching and aligning the door hinges. Note there is a slight design flaw with the shelving. For the lower shelf in the top, open area, a bracket holding the front piece to the side piece blocks the shelf from being slid into place on its support pins. This means you have to hold the shelf in midair while you remove two of the pins, slide it into place, and replace the pins. Pretty annoying, but nothing major.