Solid and sturdy... very atypical for alternatives available, which typically are plastic or pressed board.  I would expect to pay much more for such a solid and well constructed product.  The tongue and groove on the center drawer is a little shallow, so the drawer could be manuvered to fall from the desk.  The vendor sent me a replacement desk with their apologies, but the replacement had the same minor flaw.  I put some felt on the side edges of both grooves to snug the fit and disallow any 'play' that would allow the drawer to fall from it's guide.  My 6 year old now has a fully functional desk that she loves and uses frequently.  Note that when magic marker got on the desk, it could not be washed off.