We are both mechanically inclined, but putting this together took about 10 hours in frustration. The directions say you need a hammer and screwdriver. You need a soft surface to work on, several screwdrivers and a drill. The pieces are not labeled. Bring extra dowels, they will break. Things do not line up perfectly and the illustrations are difficult to follow. The legs had imperfections and the little paper hole covers fall off. The end result was nice but we would never have bought it if we knew how difficult it was to assemble. Also easily scratched.