Everything was as I expected, except for the delivery time....I figured it would take at least a week or so, but it arrived in 2 days!!!  I was very happy to find the wood so smooth, so I didn't even have to sand it.  I used a pre-stain, then stained it, put one coat of acrylic on it, put it together, and then 2 more acrylic coats.  It's beautiful!!  I found it very easy to put together.  When I counted all my hardware, I was missing 1 screw, but since many other reviews were missing a part or two, I only laughed, since I was expecting that to happen. And I had never used rubber wood before, so I didn't know what to expect. It has great grain!  I really am not into butcher-block, but when I ordered it I knew that the top would have that, so again, no surprise. And the drawers open/shut without any problems.  I have used it for a week now, and highly recommend it.