As other reviewers noted, the "silver" is really more of a grey color. I used pipe insulation on the ladder rungs--they are very painful otherwise. Don't fully tighten all the screws until you've got all the parts attached--I know it says that in the directions but it really does make a difference in being able to get the bottom support pieces in. I was able to put this together on my own with some supporting assistance from my 7 yo in about 90 minutes (with breaks).