Mainstays Student Desk, Black

Desk arrived safely with a tear at one end of the box which is likely the carriers fault - not the manufacturer. The desk was easy to put together. All the tools, screws, etc. were neatly packaged and extras were provided in case you lose something during assembly. It is sturdy and was exactly what we needed in a desk with a small footprint. For the price this is an excellent buy. What bugged me about it - yeah here it comes - was that each of the panels was supposed to be labeled with a sticker that showed which part it was so you could follow along with their detailed assembly instructions e.g. A, B, C, D, E, etc. Well my box only had 3 of the panels labeled. There are a lot of panels and they're all different so this slowed down my construction process as I tried to determine which panel was which. I'd have finished a lot faster if I didn't have to overheat my brain. So my message to the QA folk at Mainstays is to make sure all these pieces are labeled. It's very helpful. To the consumer, the instructions are very detailed (to the point of showing every screw hole) so you'll eventually figure it out if your panels don't have the label stickers on them.

This isn't incredibly hard to put together, but if you have almost zero experience in building things such as furniture like I do then expect a bit of a challenge. All you need is a philips screwdriver, a hammer and a few hours. Some parts are harder to put on then others(like the top of the desk) but its not impossible. I was actually convinced that the manufacturer drilled the holes in wrong in some steps, rendering it impossible to finish but that was just my imagination(although I do wish that they drilled better holes in some pieces, I actually had 2 nails crack through the black finish because I was being careless).4 stars because I feel like they could of drilled the holes better on the shelves and whatnot, and because I feel like the instructions were lacking details on one of the first steps(they point out which side should show the black finish before you start screwing things together and this particular step didn't show that. Without thinking about it I ended up putting on the bottom shelve backwards!)All in all I'm very happy with my purchase besides those two minor problems. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a nice desk.

This was somehow ordered accidentally and was going to be returned, but when my brother saw it (photo on the box) he said he wanted it for his kids, so I gave it to him.I have not seen it built, but he loves it. He said it is a good size for my 5-year-old nephew. This means it is small. Good student desk, which is exactly what it says, that would work for a child/teen/adult with limited space. ;)The desk was very easy to put together. It took him maybe an hour.I gave it 3 stars because when I opened the box (thinking it was something else I ordered) the smell was very strong. My son started sneezing and felt like it was bothering his lungs. I was itching all over and sneezing, too. It was strong. Some serious formaldehyde in there. And that was just from opening the box. We did not even take it out and much less build it. If it weren't for that, I'd give it 5 stars.

I ordered this desk simply because I was going back to school and I needed a place to put my printer and laptop. I love this desk because it fits well in he place where I wanted it, and that it was pretty easy to put together.. it doesn't take up a lot of space. and its cute, just for me. I do wish it was a little taller but thats not really a big deal.. I will say that when the desk came it was chipped on the side.. but I believe it happened during transport so I was not going to complain about that.. no one would notice anyway unless I point it out..

This desk is great but the holes for the nails are a tad off and it made it a bit difficult to assemble. It took me a good three hours to assemble but to be fair I did it alone. Considering I didn't have any help it wasn't too bad to assemble, the instructions weren't bad but they could have put in a little more detail. It seems sturdy enough for my laptop and books. I didn't like how the bottom of the drawer is a cardboard piece with wood finish, doesn't seem sturdy. It's still pretty great for the price though. Just wanted to complain about the assembly, okay I'm done.

I bought this desk a few months ago and assembled it myself fairly easily (did it a little at a time over a few days). It's a good fit for small spaces and looks good too, especially alongside other black furniture.My only complaints would be that I wish there was aditonal space on that lower level since I can pretty much only fit my laptop there and I'm finding that higher level space to be awkward to use. Also, (and this may be my own fault), when the small drawer is closed I can still see a small sliver of the light brown wood on the outside when I close it.

Being a college student, I really needed a sturdy desk that could handle all my textbooks and my laptop. Although I have not placed any heavy textbooks on there yet, I will do so eventually. This desk is the perfect size for my current room, and a shelf and drawer make this a very convenient workplace. However, assembling this desk takes a lot of time and effort. It is not easy to assemble, and it is very messy coming out of the box. Also, in some areas, the black finish was already chipped before even assembling. Which, I didn't quite understand because it comes in a pretty protected box, but whatever. It's good for a short-term desk.

Just perfect. Its the right size I needed for an extra desk to my new laptop, my desktop is on a large desk and this one is upstairs for use there. It was easy to put together, with a little effort, and its nice, and just right, affordable, has a drawer, two large shelf areas below, and an upper right hand area for the desklamp, cup for pencils, pens etc, and a few other items, so Im happy. Its sturdy, and once put together. I had to have my sweety do it, he knew what and how to put it together because he has one in his den.;) Its just right. You can put cabinet file drawers next to it, and voila, a nice neat work area. Definitely recommend, and just fyi, it arrived in fine condition, and quickly.