These came very rough and poorly finished. Lots of spinters. I tried sanding them and, while they were smoother, they had some kind of finish on them that would not allow them to be stained.  If I could have returned them at this point, I would have.  While I did not want painted stools in my kitchen, I also didn't want to end up with splinters where they were going to cause problems, so I am going to have to paint these stools for them to be useable.  They are fairly sturdy when assembled.  Would not buy again!