Solid wood and sturdy which is a great plus. (Note that the bottom of the drawers are particle board, but sturdy enough.) The drawers glide well and the piece looks attractive - more from afar. Up close the gray and white is certainly more of a faux finish that isn't the best quality. As many others have stated, this piece is a beast for assembly. A real relationship tester. Luckily my husband, who knows how to put together just about anything, tackled it and I gave him plenty of warning. But even for an assembly mastermind, it took 3 hours - though he did let the 3 yr old be a 'helper' which probably added on some time.