Bench came in pieces so you do have to assemble but very easy to do. comes with wrench to use to screw in legs. wood is raw but solid wood not a veneer and can be painted or stained to meet your needs. we are utilizing the bench for our kitchen table. we are going to paint the legs white and do a dark stain on the bench top to match a farm table that we made for the kitchen. easy to put together with only one person needed.