The finish on ours was more of a yellowish tint than the one pictured (somewhat surprising). Highly recommend you seal it before putting outside (we stained ours as well). The lid mechanism holds the lid up securely while getting things in and out which is nice - I hope it doesn't loosen up. The wood is a bit thinner than I would like, it would be easy to break the bottom. We only store seat cushions in it, so we weren't concerned. The top is lined to prevent water from leaking in during any rain, but the sides are not, so just be aware.