Nantucket Distressed Black Kitchen Island with Black Granite and Wood Drop Leaf Breakfast Bar, 48"W

Like I said, trust the reviews. Solid piece of furniture. I won't go too in depth here because no one cares, but long story short, I put this together alone (at least 98% of it), and it was tough. The only part I had help with was when I had my gf help lift the granite top onto the base, which was difficult even with the two of us, and will say that the last granite top piece requires two people - it's not possible to do alone - and I'm a 200lb 28-year old male who lifts at the gym weekly who is saying this. Just know that ahead of time. I'll also say this... the two boxes that these came in were VERY heavy. My apartment has no elevator. Even with a handtruck, getting these boxes up apartment stairs alone is nearly impossible. So if you're in my situation, only use a handtruck to get the boxes to the bottom of your stairs. From here, open the boxes up, and then carry the wood pieces individually up the stairs to your room. This is the easiest way to do it. Don't try - like I did - to handtruck the boxes up the stairs - it's not worth your back or troubles. Lastly, seal the granite before putting anything on it. Go to HomeDepot or Lowes and buy some granite sealer to do this. Don't freak out about having to do this, because I know you - like I did - are freaking out this very moment when reading that you need to "seal" the granite. Anyone can do it. You just pour some sealer on the granite and rub it in with a rag. No big deal. Why seal it? Because I read reviews on here about people having water or liquid stains appear on the granite from barely leaving a filled cup on the granite for a few hours. Not worth having this happen or risking it if you just spent 800 bucks on this thing. I also bought some wood oil polisher for the wood portion, just to protect it. Same deal - you pour it on and rub it in. Wood polisher isn't mandatory obviously, but the granite sealer probably is. For both the granite sealer and (optional) wood polisher, you probably want to do 2 coats.That's all I have to say. Hopefully my review helps someone. Check out my apartment photo for an idea of what you're getting yourself into. This is my first review on Amazon, but I decided to write one simply because you should really know everything I wrote before it arrives, and also because it's a great product.

This island is a perfect fit for my kitchen space. You will definitely need assistance with the assembly especially when it comes to lifting the countertop part - it took me, my husband and 2 sons to get this up. The island is sturdy and the storage space is amazing - I use the cabinets to house my appliances but still deciding what to use the side shelves for. There were nicks and scratches on the wood that isn’t a major deal since it’s supposed to be distressed. I’ve gotten compliments on this island - no one believes it was purchased from Amazon and something I had to assemble; everyone believes this was built in my kitchen since it fits so perfectly. I read the reviews prior to purchasing and was warned about the stains that are left behind on the granite from glasses however I forgot to purchase the solvent that would eliminate that issue. Outside of the minor issues, this is a great island and I’m definitely satisfied with my purchase!

For the review police who like to inspect previous reviews for any hint of suspicious intent, you will have to suck it up with this one being my first post. sorry.**SPOILER ALERT** The island survives in the end, barely.So, my wife wanted it, the nantucket island 88-5033-941, so I got it, as a surprise; surprise is a good place to start as the surprise was ruined by missing cam lock screw mounts that fasten the top to the base. Their customer support completed my sentence when I called to detail what was missing. They responded promptly with the missing plastic mounts and I rec'd the items today and was finally able to complete the surprise that was taking up much of the living room for nearly two weeks.Now that it is assembled I declare: Do not underestimate the assembly of this item. I did it by myself and I do NOT recommend it. If you are alone and have any issues with patience, fitness, and/or caressing homicidal thoughts, I recommend finding a helper. With that said, the parts are labeled and figuring out what goes where is straightforward. It took me at least 2.5 hours, and the top is heavy. I consider this more difficult than assembling a bowflex m5.The overall impression now that the long-lost-surprise is assembled is that it is not worth $800, with taxes. I do not consider it as functional as envisioned.The good bit:Once assembled it is solid and I think most components are not particle board. It is attractive and a quality item.The customer support is wonderful.The bad bits:The following is the list of very important care instructions provided on the last page1. Never use glass cleaner on finished furniture2. Never allow liquids of any kind to remain on the furniture3. Do not write directly on the surface. (I assume they mean like with one sheet, not taking a sharpie to the surface.)4. Do not place in direct sunlight5. Do not use commercial waxes and polishes6. Do not place hot objects on surface7. Do not use rubber based place mats8. Use a soft cloth moistened in lukewarm soap and water, then buff with a dry clean cloth (to clean the island).NOTE: I understand that most of the items listed are nice to know and not a downer. I put them all there as support overall for my frame of mind regarding function.After reading these care instructions I admit I am not sure what I can do with it. No hot objects or liquid on a kitchen island? I see another reviewer mentions that anything moist left stains the granite and recommended a sealant. Otherwise, my wife says she wants to put a chopping block on it, and I guess that would be about it unless I cover the thing with a non-rubber material kind of defeating having a HEAVY CUTE granite top. Disappointment is where I am with this thing, but it does hold the books nicely on the side shelves.The effort to distress, by denting, is as close to idiotic as I have ever seen. The person or thing that did it put mostly symmetrical dents. For example, looking at a door or drawer there is one dent on the top and bottom and two on each side. Across the top the dents look far from random in the same pattern as the other areas but with more dents. In other words, someone has missed the boat for what distressed looks like. We are sold a non-random unnatural application of distressed and therefore does NOT look distressed. Irritating is the word that comes to mind for why someone believes we all desire to have fake dents hammered into new furniture.Did I say it is heavy and one of the reasons you should get the missing cam lock screw mounts. If you ever have to move it, you will be better off having all eight screws attached. The base is somewhat dependent on the top to sure up the solid nature of the item. Otherwise, the top is heavy enough and with pegs will not move if missing a few of the screws.So the big questions: would I buy it again? can I recommend it? I would buy it again because the wife wants it, but I would not purchase this item again otherwise. I cannot recommend it unless the buyer understands that, imo, it is more decorative than functional without taking precautions like sealant and non-rubber protection.Again, no agenda. I do not work for the company nor do I work for a competitor. This review should show that I purchased it through amazon.com.I think 4* is fair given some will argue that of course you cannot get a kitchen island wet or dare put anything close to hot on it; I should have known that going in.