Everyone tends to put their feet on the foot bar, which has caused the varnish to wear away. I've just taken a sharpie to darken the wood again. 
Padding isn't as firm as it was when we first got the stools. It was a good price, so I figure one day I'll re-pad them. 
The stools are sturdy. I have kids that seem to think they need to lean back on them, so they are balancing on the back two legs. The extra stress doesn't seem to lessen the sturdiness of the chair.