This is a beautiful island and I’m so happy with it. My husband put it together in about 2-3 hours and the directions were clear and there were no issues. The wood top is really pretty and I’ve already had my kids eat at the island but I am using place mats. It has a laminate covering which wipes smoothly.  I will use a cutting board as well when prepping food. I have no problem with that! It is what I expected. The shelves are spacious enough to fit a heavy pot. For the price this is a quality piece.