I am not mechanically inclined so I hired someone to put the bed together.  It took him 40 minutes to put the bed together and when completed - it looked very nice.  It seems as though it will be quite sturdy and this is important because I am a plus size woman and don't want to deal with breaking slats etc.  The handyman stated the width of the slats makes it a solid purchase and he does not anticipate i would have any issues...    So far so good - am torn between using it with and without a box spring, but i honesty believe it will be fine without a box spring.