Sauder Palladia Office Desk with Drawers, Executive Desk with File Cabinet Storage, Cable Management, Keyboard Tray, in Split Oak Finish

This desk is a model of precise engineering and manufacturing. Everything just fits together perfectly. The final product is beyond sturdy. Great reinforcement throughout. Instructions are very precise and well-illustrated - pay attention to them.The desk was ordered for Christmas, but the order fell through the cracks. Amazon redid the order to Sauder and, well, it'll be a late Christmas, early Valentine. Everyone was courteous and Amazon made a generous "Sorry" gift to my account.Get the delivery guys to put the two boxes where you're going to build it. HEAVY. Build it where you're going to use it if you can.Here are some hints on the building:1. You know the carpenter's maxim: "Measure twice, saw once." Well, "Read twice, screw once." Pay close attention to the directions and don't skip around (much).2. Get a GOOD #2 Phillips screwdriver. Make sure the tip is sharp. You're going to use it a LOT.3. Label everything. Some parts are labeled but many are not. Label everything and get it organized.4. I defy anyone to put together parts K, N, and CC as described in steps17 and 18. I had to put together the three components to form a unit that I then attached to the desk with the 27G connectors. [NOTE: If you do this, lay out the K panels on the desk to make sure you have the correct sides facing outward.]5. Be patient. There's a long chain of steps to putting this together. There are a LOT of screws and it is tiresome to be using a screwdriver, but a power screwdriver could tear up the board.6. A BIG ONE: The drawers don't slide well? A lot of complaints here on that. I took that into account, noticing that the slides have a little room for up/down adjustment and the drawer sides can be adjusted in/out on their 6G, 9G, 10G brackets. Crank the screws down tight, but just tight enough to hold and let the drawer position the slides. Then tighten all the way. Adjust if needed.7. The only thing Sader was missing was some felt pads for the desk. I don't expect any sliding around but still insist on protecting my floors.Altogether a very fun project. This isn't wood, it's particle board, so we'll see how it holds up to wear and tear. I think this will stand the test of time and it is coming in at below 20% of the cost of a similar wood desk.

I bought this desk and the matching lateral file for my husbands new office that was added to our house after the you heat left for college (bye bye stinky bonus room where boys played video games and screamed at one another through head sets-you served us well but you ended up as wasted space where we would set old crap after the man child moved into the dorm) I was scared of buying manufactured wood because -ew. We had a manufactured wood desk when we were in college: it was that shiny ugly fake wood that became increasingly treacherous every time you moved it -which was often because in college we moved like carnys from one dodgy apartment to another. This desks and drawer set is not that. It looks like real wood and brother it is heavy as all get out. I built most of it myself with a little assistance from my son who is home between classes. It did take a full day because there are about 8 million pieces and some of the directions took a minute to figure it out. Definitely have a power screw driver on hand. The only step I really needed help with was when you have to flip it over mid build. I am a small woman but even my 6’5” engineering student son was like “geez mom-what is this thing made of?” When I asked him to come help me. Overall we are all pleased-and my husband likes his new space and furnishings .

Let me start of by saying that even though I don't agree with all of the reviews, I can completely understand them. This desk is difficult to put together without the right tools, preparation, and knowledge. It has a LOT of pieces! However, all of the hardware is organized and labeled, as is the actual wood pieces. The desk pieces either have a sticker or the letter is printed on the side - just look at all sides. The directions are actually very well written. You just have to take your time and read every single bullet point. With my husband, who has 30+ years of construction experience, it took us five hours to assemble. I could see where it would be frustrating for someone who has little to no experience assembling furniture or building things. We made sure to have plenty of room to work, and a table so assemble all of the pieces before attaching them to the desk. He also used an impact gun. DO NOT try to do this with a screwdriver. It would take hours and you will end up with carpal tunnel syndrome. Overall I am extremely pleased with this desk and the construction of it. After reading the other reviews, I was concerned about putting it together but our experience was really good. Do not think that you can get this done in a couple of hours. It will take a whole afternoon of continually working on it. We like it so much that we are now going to order the bookshelf. You can do it! Just prepare yourself for it and take your time. Use a power tool!!

Many of the assembly pieces are not manufactured properly. You can easily damage the desk if you follow their instruction booklet. The installation was a nightmare and took nearly two days (10-15 hours).The nails they tell you to install into the desktop are literally longer than the depth on the desk. This means that if you use those nails you will end up ruining your desk top. There were many other design flaws in this desk. Also, the desk is meant to never be disassembled (without damaging it) because of the way they took shortcuts in the design.