Directions were fairly simple to follow. All screws, etc. were illustrated in the booklet and pieces of wood were labeled with appropriate letters, so it was easy to keep track of what went where. However, the directions neglected to say which side up the wood was supposed to be, and when I looked at the finished piece I noticed I had put the rough side facing out on a couple of the pieces. I would have had to take apart what had been nailed together, so just left it that way. All in all, the unit is WONDERFUL for storing lots of CDs without taking up too much space. The width was perfect for the space I put it and the profile is thin so doesn't jut out much into room. GREAT PRICE! ARRIVED FAST, TOO!