Some of the stools were not easy to assemble as the pre drilled holes weren't matched up properly so my husband had to take out his tools and redrill holes in some cases and get clever in another. I didn't have the energy to return and replace. Not all the stools sit flush either so if you play with how tightly you screw in all the connections you can remedy this somewhat. In spite of all of this I really like the look of the stools at my island. They are taking the abuse of my kids and are holding up well after a year. They are still holding tightly together--not wobbly and frail.