Not difficult to assemble-my husband was able to do it alone, and instead of staining or painting we just applied a layer of polyurethane to protect it. One of the doors sticks more than the other but I don't really mind. I'm thinking I'll replace the wood knobs for a ceramic ones. We also got a different mechanism to attach it to the wall so it doesn't tip over - the one that came with it is just a metal strip that will be visible once installed.