This piece is relatively sturdy. Assembly took a decent amount of time-- maybe an hour or so. The real problem I have is that this piece cannot handle weight. We recently had to move this console to get to the baseboards of our walls. When lifting and moving, the legs broke off and actually broke part of the base of the console itself that can't be repaired. We flipped the console over after painstakingly emptying the books and records from the shelves to discover that the bottom had been SUPER GLUED onto the board with no other reinforcement. Overall pleasant looking piece, does what it needs to do, but now I'm left with a console that can't be repaired. Also the wood itself is laminate.