The materials are flimsy. I was hoping for a bench you could sit on, but I wouldn't feel comfortable putting much weight on this bench. It works as another level of shoe rack though. Straight out of the packaging, some of the wires were loose on the shoe rack, which was disappointing. If I'd paid more for it, I would have given it a lower rating, but as it is, I got pretty much what I paid for. The construction was fairly simple, and it does what I need it to do.