It took my son only 1 1/2 hours to put the pantry together. It is a beautiful piece of furniture. The back is made of paneling and not cardboard and also has support pieces to keep the back from bowing. All the rest of the pieces are solid wood. The base and the top come pre-built which makes assembly easier. Although it looks like the unit is solid from top to bottom it is actually two units put together. To keep the doors from staying open adjust the unit on the base with the levelers that are on it. We had no trouble adjusting the level on the unit. I would highly recommend this unit to anyone looking for a pantry to hold a lot of items and built to last.