Sauder Palladia L-Shaped Desk in Select Cherry Finish - Home Office Workstation for Small Spaces, Gaming & Study Desk with Sturdy Construction

This desk looks really great and we’re extremely happy with the quality and appearance.It was mentioned in other reviews, so we knew what we were signing up for, but it took many hours to assemble. My husband did the whole thing - it wasn’t difficult, but there were many, many pieces. The desk basically ships in two flat (very heavy) boxes, with absolutely no pre-assembly whatsoever. Be prepared to do every little thing - attach hinges and drawer tracks, all of the decorative pieces, etc. Also, be ready with help to carry it. As mentioned, the boxes are very heavy and it was a two person job to move them inside.That said, the value of the product is really great and we’re very happy with it vs. having spent 4-5x or more money at a regular furniture store.There were a few pieces that didn’t fit together like they should have, but my husband found it easy to improvise and drill a few new holes to re-fit it.There was also one piece that was damaged when we received it. Almost all of the desk parts were clearly labeled, so I submitted a request for a replacement piece online and it arrived at our house 2 days later. I was very happy with the customer service and responsiveness.I was looking for a nice desk for my business at home and to also be able to work on church things without being overcrowded. Where I was looking to place it allowed me to have an L-shaped desk so that’s what I searched for. I was hesitant on ordering furniture especially a desk online due to having to send it back if I didn’t like it or it wasn’t what it was supposed to be but it was exactly what I wanted. The price was great and I’m glad that I decided to take a chance. My husband put it together over a few days because it was very extensive but he was up for the challenge and did a great job. I would definitely recommend this desk especially if you can get it on sale at a great price. I am very pleased with my desk and definitely recommend it.On a scale of 1 to 10, this would get an 8.5. I am a scale model builder as a hobby and this reminds me of one of those kits albeit at a 1:1 scale. There are about 50 steps to build the desk. So here are my thoughts:The Good:1. All you need is a hammer and a good Phillips head screwdriver. Match the bit size to the drawing in the instructions and you will be fine.2. The pieces arrived in a very secure package and there was no damage.3. The screws and other hardware were in a separate large "sheet" with each screw type labeled in it's own section. I had some extras which is not a bad thing.4. For as many parts as there are, and as big as it is, the fit is very good with one exception which I have noted in the Bad section.The OK:1. This will take some time. I did it by myself and it took about 8 to 10 hours. I took some breaks so my time is somewhere between 8 and 10.2. You need at least a 10 x 10 area to assemble. You need some room to maneuver the two sections around once you get them assembled and ready to mate the two section.3. There is a LOT of turning and twisting all those screws and locking pieces. Patience is required.4. One person can do it if you plan on how to stand up the sections on their ends and then "tip" them over. Again, patience and planning are the key.5. I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND using furniture slides. I used 8 of them around the edges and the desk slides pretty easily. This makes getting the two sections pretty close for final mating and then getting it into your final position really easy.6. Some of the areas where you are forced to twist the locking pieces can get congested. Use the smallest screwdriver you can. You do NOT need a power drill. In fact, I don't think you could use a power drill for all of it as it would be too hard to maneuver in some of the tight places.7. You may need to adjust the drawer slides if the drawers hit each other. I had one drawer that was binding on the one beneath it, and adjusting the slides on the side made all the difference. Again, patience is needed.The Bad:1. The plastic corner pieces that align the sides of the drawers to the front of the drawers were not labeled as in the instructions. They turned out to be the same pieces, but you must figure out which piece goes in which drawer as one drawer needs the pieces without the caps. Since the numbers don't match, you have to visually figure it out or else you will have to start over on that drawer.2. The two sections are attached under the desk in the back corner with two screws which you place in the pre-drilled holes in the front-most vanity panel. Getting those holes to line up with the holes with the vanity panel from the second section is virtually impossible. You are crunched down under the sections trying to line up those holes. The wood is soft enough that you can get the two pieces to "attach", but I am not sure I got them aligned.3. This is my biggest complaint about the desk. The two sections line up but the fit is not square. It is really good on the horizontal plane, but vertically there is a "bump". Kind of like two sections of a side walk that join together. There isn't really a gap, but a ridge between the two. Not a huge deal, but you can clearly see there are two sections joined together. You cannot confuse it for a single piece desktop. Now there is a plate underneath where the two sections are screwed together but it is too small to eliminate the ridge.4. The cable holes in the desktop (2 of them) are too small to be of much use. They will allow for a couple of small USB -type cables for a mouse and keyboard, but HDMI and Display Port cable ends won't fit through.The Unknown:1. I have no idea how this will disassemble to travel if I move. I think the two sections will be easily separated, but there are quite large and if you have a small doorway, it could be tricky.Summary:A nice piece for the price considering what you would pay for a solid wood desk. I think it is a bit unfair when folks are saying it is not sold "solid" wood. I did not think it was marketed as such, so I cannot fault anyone.Came in 2 boxes. Labeled as 137lbs and 134lbs. After opening the boxes and laying out the parts (needs a lot of space) it took me about 6 hours (no breaks - tried to go fast). A few pieces were dented or scratched from shipping but mostly non visible, except the main top which has a dent. Wasn't enough for me to worry too much about. The finish is fairly easy to scratch so be careful. The drawers are a little stiff but all lined up and worked well. The door also lined up well. Instructions were mostly straightforward and there was a video link as well which I watched as I went along which helped a few times. Overall it's a nice looking desk, lots of room and very practical for me working from home full time.One thing that is correct is that this will take you at least 8 hours to assemble. It's not extremely hard but, it has a LOT of parts and pieces and some are not marked. I found the manual very accurate and I actually enjoyed putting it together but, I'm sure not a lot of people will not enjoy spending one entire day putting it together.Before start the assembly, take out ALL the parts and pieces and try to put them in an order, specially with the screws. If you don't do this, you'll be putting a comment like the one above mine that is saying that the manual doesn't indicate the right screws. The manual is very clear in this aspect. You just need to start the assembly in an organized way.Make sure to assemble it on the room that it's going to be installed. After assembled, it's very heavy to move it around. The desk is VERY sturdy and nice. I actually removed one drawer so I could fit well with my office chair.I paid 399 plus shipping, which was great compared to other places where I found this same desk (i.e. Sears and Wayfair). It's the same desk they have, with the same assembly required but much more expensive on those other websites.For the price I paid, I would definitely recommend this product to anybody looking for a big and sturdy desk.Nice desk however it came in a million different pieces. Drawers are also really sticky. Not sure I would order again as it’s cheaply made.