Sauder Heritage Hill Library/Book Shelf, L:29.80" x W:13.09" x H:71.26", Classic Cherry

Just finished putting this together and we're fully impressed.The product itself is exactly what it says on the tin, looks just like the photos. It takes a little bit of extra effort from your standard DIY bookshelf just because it has some extra decorative pieces, but we think it's worth it and that's one of the reasons we picked it out. Did have a MINOR bit of confusion since some of the decorative pieces weren't labeled, but they were easy to identify with the instruction manual.Which, let me just say, this is clearly a company who has seen the problems in the DIY furniture industry and has actually taken HUGE strides to make the whole experience easier on the customer and make the product sturdier. There are no bamboo pegs that might not even fit into their assigned holes, no weird turn-to-lock things that may are may not be tight enough to not unlock themselves, no ten different pieces of tiny hardware that barely look different from each other, and NO ALLEN WRENCHES.The entire piece can be put together with a regular screwdriver and a hammer (or just the screwdriver if you can't find the hammer and are determined enough, since you only need the hammer to tack on the cardboard backing); and because the structure's entirely put together with screws and because it's actually separated into two pieces, it makes the entire structure way more stable than your standard DIY bookshelf.The instruction manual is also not only EXCEEDINGLY, PAINSTAKINGLY clear about which way each piece should be facing and what hole you should be screwing it into, spelling it out for you when they can't just point it out on the diagram, or sometimes even doing both; it also comes with a little pre-measured spacer that you can cut right out of it to help you center the moldings on the shelves just right.And just as the icing on the cake, they also include a marker in the color of the laminate to fill in accidental scratches.We are extremely happy with this bookcase, and we'll be looking at Sauder products for future DIY furniture needs.

This bookshelf was the closest to what I was looking for. My current bedroom theme is sort of a cross between medieval castle/Hogwarts mixed with Disney and anime. The bookshelf has the “fancy library” feel that I was going for and the nice rich color of the brown goes so well with the grey stone background of the wall. I would love to order a second one but my room isn’t big enough. The top half I use for the small handful of my favorite books “since I have a lot of books in storage” and the lower half of the shelf, behind the doors, was supposed to be for movies but I decided to store my video games there instead. There’s also plenty of room at the edge of the shelves in front of the books for small knickknacks.The shelf is decent in sturdiness and weight and the wood is typical particles but still pretty thick. The cardboard backing was also easy to hammer on.However, I do have a couple of complaints during assembly.1) The cupboard doors need to be held exactly where you want them and either you need to have something hold them in place, or else have a second person hold them in place for you. Otherwise one door will scrape against the top or bottom edge of the frame, or there will be a weird gap between the doors when closed. Also, the back of the door handles have two little pegs sticking out and the cupboard doors have a little hole where the pegs should go. However, the holes are not aligned and the first time I attached the handles, one handle ended up being higher than the other. After a while, I had the idea of removing the handles and switching the doors. Once I did that, the handles were aligned correctly. But neither door or handle is marked, so there’s no way of knowing the handles won’t line up until you try putting the handles on. Bit annoying.2) One of the final steps is to attach the trim to the individual shelves. If you look at the front of each of the two top shelves in my pictures, you will notice the thickness of the front edge. That is actually a separate piece of wood that needs to be attached. However, there are no holes to put the screws through. Instead there is a narrow opening that runs along the entire length like a thin trench. The screw goes through the opening until it reaches the bottom and then goes through the wood. Once they are attached, you can wedge the shelves into the bookshelf. However, if it turns out that the trim is uneven and there is an annoying gap on one side (which there more than likely will be) you CAN NOT unscrew it, readjust it, and screw it on again. That will split the wood. It happened to me with both trims. Now both trims tilt downward a tiny bit.Other than those two issues, this shelf is great. I managed to assemble it myself but it took me nearly 3 hours and I was assembling it in a narrow hallway. Definitely would have been faster if I had help and more space to work but was still doable alone. Despite the setbacks, I still give this 5 stars. Mostly for aesthetics, sturdiness, depth of the shelves, and the ability to assemble it alone.

Here's the deal, it's a beast to put together, its going to take a while, and the instructions leave much to be desired, but the finished product will be worth it for the money. The finish looks really good, I got the classic cherry, very business like. But the big question you'll ask is, does that middle piece fit flush with the other wood, or not? Well, the answer is yes, you just have to push the molding out to the end when putting in the screws. And then once you stand it up, and you see how it works, you can loosen and tighten it again to get it "just right." The instructions are correct, they're just not very good. In fact, you should put on as many brackets and screws as possible before you sit it on the ground, if you read through you'll see what I mean, you don't want to be sitting on the floor doing some of that stuff, not until you put on the molding, at which point you don't have a choice. It's not flimsy once you get the back on, its good for the money. And if you ever have to move, they won't weight a ton so you can easily get it in a truck with two people, not a back strainer. I bought 4 and liked them so good I'm buying some more for the library.