( 4 reviews )
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Posted: Sep 28 2008
My need was for basic book storage in a private area of my home, and I was specifically looking for glass doors to keep the dust down. I'd ordered three of these after having researched, so my expectations were definitely properly set on what I was getting for the money. Ultimately it was good I'd ordered three units, because one of the units was missing hardware that (fortunately) another unit had an overabundance of. Another reviewer had previously stated it took 6 hours to assemble; I'm a female with a decent set of basic tools, and it took me less than 4 hours to assemble all three units by myself. I, too, ran into some issues with fit when hanging the doors, but found I could adequately align by playing with screw adjustments. I did, however, need to drill some new pilot holes in the door for the catch plate, because use of the original holes caused the plate to extend beyond the top edge of the door. Be aware that when assembed, there ends up being about a 3/8" gap between the doors when they're closed, big enough that you can clearly see inside. This was a little disappointing because I was trying to prevent dust from settling on my books over time, and there is no adjustment that will close the gap; it's just the way the doors are sized. I thought about maybe laying a piece of trim in the middle, but the door handles (one of the nice features of this bookshelf) are so closely set that there's really no space to do so without swapping out the handles. My biggest disappointment was the "finish" of the MDF; I have other bookshelves that are MDF with a definite wood veneer (wipeable, durable), but this finish seems more like a coating of some sort. A few of the individual panels had what appeared to be some slight moisture damage/spots, which caused the finish to fleck off (!). Not unsightly enough to warrant a merchandise return, but definitely something I'll have to touch up... kind of a bummer on a new piece of furniture. And it makes me leery about ever wiping down the furniture; I'll have to stick to dry dusting and wiping. I'd only ever seen this once before with some cheap Walmart bedstands I'd purchased (and ultimately ended up painting). Overall, it's an attractive unit and I'm satisfied with the value for the price, but if I was looking for something to put in a family area of my home that would really last, I'd shop around a little more. Hope this helps!
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Posted: Sep 28 2008
This identical product comes up elsewhere on Amazon with useful product review information. Wasn't sure why Amazon doesn't link reviews for identical products for consumers, but here's the scoop for anyone that's interested: http://www.amazon.com/Glass-Door-Bookcase-%252d-Oak/dp/B000FEKHKE
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Posted: Jan 7 2008
I don't know where we got the idea that this was solid wood, but it isn't. It is pressed wood, so we were more than disappointed. After putting it together, one of the doors didn't quite match up right, either. It doesn't look nearly as good as the picture shows, but it does, however, do it's job and have plenty of space. Overall, it's an okay product, but the price was a little high considering the quality.
