Potting Bench Table Large Garden Outdoor Work Bench Metal Tabletop Workstation with Storage Cabinet Shelf Dark Grey

When I first started my garden, this came in handy right off the bat. It looks great in my greenhouse instructions were easy to understand. I did have to let the wood sit out for a day to help with the smell. It's not bad, but the paint on it does have a smell. But once it's out of the box, it's fine. The quality of the bench is great.

True "flat pack" furniture. With line drawing instructions for assembly. Instructions miss an important issue about the fact the large open frames that LOOK the same - are actually "handed" and you need to make sure to use the correct ones at the outset. If you are used to assembling things and look for the holes for the dowels - you will figure it out - but it could do with highlighting in the instructions more than it is. If you are going to use a power screwdriver - set the torque low to prevent over driving. As long as you set up carefully on the 6 adjustable feet - should do OK with a big bag of dirt and pots! Design is good and as long as you can put this somewhere well ventilated - the pine (?) should hold up. Strong smell is either the actual pine, the gray stain or some preservative. Time will tell.

Product arrived well-packed and intact with all parts and pieces present. Pungent smell of cedar when unpacked, but wood is too lightweight to be cedar, possibly synthetic added to wood or stain. Dark grey color, more attractive than plain wood, imho. 90% DIY assembly. Instructions were good in detailing parts and sequence of assembly, but weak in showing detail to differentiate similar pieces from one another, shelf support locations vs decorative features, and measurements for placement. Some pilot holes were present, but many weren't, I had to drill them. Dizzying array of screws of different sizes and colors, but well-labeled and one extra screw included with each group was a nice touch. Seems reasonably substantial but very lightweight, it remains to be seen how durable it will be, outdoors but sheltered. All in all, appears to be an excellent value, you could pay three or four times as much for anything better.

This was purchased to replace a garden bench that lasted 10 or 12 years outdoors in the garden. That bench only "wore out" because the (very thin) plywood bottom of an internal storage area was weakened by years of getting wet and then overloaded one day in a burst of confidence, enthusiasm, and carelessness. It seemed easier to buy a new bench than do the disassembly necessary to fix it. Hence this purchase. The new unit is a triumph of design - some student no doubt got great marks for it - but while it uses a minimum of materials to great effect - it's a house of cards where every piece is dependent on something else for support. Summon an octopus from the depths to help with assembly! Compounding the problem is the poor grade of wood used, and the fact that the wood is color-stained but not sealed or waterproofed. I used a LOT of sealer to cover the wood before assembling it and it soaked it up. I still have no confidence that it will last more than two or three years under our difficult weather. The wood is going to split and warp. I also did quite a bit of reinforcement to get decent rigidity that wasn't dependent the design's clever placement of a couple half-inch long screws. I would like to mention that I am not usually obsessive like this - it was forced on me. In summary: Spend a little more money on something more solid.

Easy enough to assemble - did it by myself (60yo female). It's not super sturdy but I'm not rough on things. I am going to add a coat of paint to help seal it better and to help it withstand the weather longer. For the price, I think it's a fair value.