Sauder Trestle Executive Desk with Filing, Home Office Desk with Storage, Vintage Oak Finish

This desk is very attractive and well built. Assembly: I love putting flat-pack furniture together, however, this desk took about 3 solid hours and was a bit tricky. The end product is well built... Possibly over built. So it's worth the extra time. But do expect it to take a couple of hours. It only requires a screwdriver to build (but use a good one as your hand may get sore). Look: I purchased the Chalked Chestnut trestle desk. It is a lovely grey wood tone with whites and creams. The wood grain facade contains a bit of texture which makes it feel very authentic. The outwardly-facing pieces are covered so the desk looks like solid wood from all angles (except underneath). Product: the desk is smartly built. A lot of hidden cams and screws. All Phillipshead screws so no Allen wrenches! The drawers have adjustable glides so they are ensured to fit in their spaces and smoothly slide under the table top. The top is strong. When all the pieces were together, I was surprised every piece sat flush to the one it was picked next to - indicating good craftsmanship and engineering. Overall a very well designed desk that just takes a bit of time to build. In the pictures, its paired with a Kira Home York desktop lamp, 6495 Distressed Cream 5 x 7 Area Rug Carpet, and a Three Posts Eckhard task chair in Rice/dark walnut. The door trim on the walls is pure white for any color-comparison needs.

For $169 this is an absolutely fabulous desk. Assembly was very simple and instructions were absolutely spot on. Yes, it took a couple hours to assemble, but that is why it is solid as a rock when complete. Most of the negative reviews just make me chuckle, people just don’t read or follow instructions and expect it to turn out properly!! One even posted a photo of a drawer they said didn’t fit………..they had the front on upside down!!!! Another complained they were expecting actual hardwood and not pressed chipboard, for $169 dollars???? Really??? A desk of this quality built from solid hardwood would cost you in the neighborhood of $1500 -2000. Others complained the instructions were hard to follow or parts were not labeled. Not true. I followed the instructions word for word and step for step and everything went together perfectly on the first try. Every part that needed to be was labeled correctly and assembly was a snap. You won’t find a better quality desk for this price anywhere!

I have put together dozens of pieces of furniture, and I figured this one would be the most difficult because of all the drawers. It took me awhile, but, hands down, the best instructions ever --thorough, great drawings (and videos!) and concise. Step by step and everything was beautifully packed, engneered and labled right down to the smallest screws . I always completely unpack the piecces, make sure everything is there, take a look at all the hardware, then briefly read through the instructions. Went like clock work, all by myself (but did need my husband to help place the top). Please note that the drawers will probably need adjustment once they're in their box, but that is explained too, right at the end. Writing instructions is an unsung talent and I so appreciated these (and the fact that I only needed one Phillips head screw driver for he entire task. ) The end result is a beautiful and sturdy piece of furniture. I will purchase Sauder pieces again because, in addition to the aforementioned, I also appreciate their construction ethics.

I wanted a desk that had NO keyboard tray, with drawers, and plenty of space on top. This desk fit the bill. It is a nice looking desk. Plenty of room for a couple of lamps to see by, my 24" desktop, phone, a cup of pens, and least, but not last, my coffee cup. Still some room left over so it doesn't look crowded. It did take awhile to assemble, doing this by myself. I do recommend reading each step thoughtfully as you assemble. It took me quite awhile to assemble taking my time and double checking my progress. Once finished, it was very stable and a good looking piece of furniture. Well worth the purchase. The only real drawback when done was the placement of the Grommet and Cap for the cords. Is is at an awkward position on the desk really. When looking at it and viewing the cord placement situation, there really wasn't a better place for it I reckon. The base for my desktop would sit on top of the cords and therefor be completely unstable. I had read about this issue on previous readers reviews so was aware of it. Just simply purchased a monitor stand (aye, from Amazon) when ordering this desk. The drawers slide in and out perfectly thanks to the Cam system once adjusted. All holes were pre-drilled and all were in perfect placement for the various screws, Cam dowels, and Cam screws. When I opened the box, I did separate all of the components and there were no bad pieces, no dings, and no scratches (more on this later). Everything seemed in perfect order and was very well packed. Tightly I might add. When this arrives at your door, be very prepared for a HEAVY box. You would be very well advised to get help. Or a two wheeled dolly to move it to the area of assembly. I did e-mail Sauder in regards to one bad piece. The Cap for the cord hole was disfigured. It could not be used. A replacement was sent right away. The top drawers could be considered a little on the shallow side but a stapler and roll of cellophane tape stand in them and am still able to open and shut them without interference. Bottom drawers fit what few hanging folders I have with no issues of the folder tabs rubbing or interfering in any way. The desk is very nice looking, sturdy, and roomy. Paper trays fit nicely in the space between the drawers if you have an inclination to use them. In my opinion, this desk is worth the purchase.

So this table comes in a box that is 3" thick and roughly 5' long. You open it up and here are all the pieces. You are totally assembling this table. The great part was that all the directions were exactly correct and easy to understand. Everything was labeled. Yes it will take you 3-4 hours to build, but you end up with a great piece of furniture. I love the finish, in that it feels like real wood. You don't need any special tools to assemble this and you will feel quite productive once completed. One piece was slightly damaged in shipping. I went to their website, filled out a form with the identified part and the piece arrived in 3 days. What an amazing company. I am most impressed. My background, I was a caterer vocational teacher and built several homes from scratch. If you like the design, I think you will love this table!

I enjoy purchasing furniture "kits," so I especially loved this one. It's definitely more complicated than the matching bookshelves (which I also love) because it has drawers. In addition to illustrations, there are well-written English directions (in complete sentences!) with Spanish and French translations in the back. And once done, I had an incredibly sturdy, nice looking piece of furniture. I did have one issue. The desktop was cracked on arrival. I called Sauder directly and they had a replacement part shipped out within a couple of hours. Great service and great product. I'll definitely buy from them again.

As others have said, the completed desk is worth it in the end! We bought one and struggled to put it together - all our fault. I needed to not only read the directions, but also pay close attention to the pictures. I had to call once to Sauder, again my fault, and the rep was very responsive. A couple of weeks later, we decided to order another desk, so we had matching desks. Second time putting it together was much easier, and even then, I made some mistakes, but we completed it in half the time as the first. Interestingly, we had a problem with one handle on each desk. Sauder was very responsive and replaced them right away. The desk drawers were very easy to adjust, which really impressed me. I like the way the file drawers are side facing, not front facing. They hold a lot of files and can be adjusted for letter or legal size. We are happy with our purchase and highly recommend. Last words of advice: Allocate a significant amount of time to put the desk together so you do not feel rushed; pay very close attention to the directions and the pictures - they are well written directions; and call Sauder if you need help, but they are only available during the week. Enjoy your finished product!

**Updated review: after using the desk for a couple days, I am unable to place my laptop in the middle of the desk without setting it directly on top of the cord hole. This makes it all lopsided and annoying. The cord hole should have been placed further back on the desk. If you like your screens up close, then it shouldn't be a problem. I would knock 1/2 star off just for this small inefficient design.** It took my husband 2.5hrs from box to completion. All the pieces were there, no damages. Even though its not real wood, it looks just as good and is pretty sturdy. I love the color and file drawers! My husband said it wasn't hard to assemble, he enjoyed the humorous jokes they had in the directions and was impressed that the drawers have the self leveling feature (Cam). I would definitely recommend this desk. I will be purchasing a second one for my daughter to sit side by side in the office.