Sauder Cottage Road Coffee Table/Gaming Table with Removable Top, Soft White Finish

Was able to assemble myself but it took me longer than expected because I had to read and then read again to make sure I understood the directions. Here are my assembly observations1. The manual was well written! Not only was the English easy to understand (I'd expect it to be since this originated and was manufactured in Ohio but you never can be sure). There were side comments that were entertaining and eased the frustration. What frustration? Oh, the frustration of a million tiny parts. Those cam locks and dowels. However, unlike other manufacturers, THESE items of hardware WORKED. I did not have a single cam lock fall apart and snap off under pressure when tightening. I knew within minutes of starting to assemble this Sauder cottage road coffee gaming table with the removable top that it was going to be a quality item. The pieces were solid construction and the hardware was as well. I've had some pretty furniture I've ordered that didn't hold together because the hardware was cheap. It was also the first time I encountered glue to hold the dowels in. Such an obvious, but often overlooked, solution. I followed the directions exactly.2. The CAM SCREWS were a bit difficult to place. I had my son help me at first and then I learned I could just give a tap with the power screw driver and they went in easily. I didn't have the finger strength with the manual hand held screw driver. Something to keep in mind.3. By the time I got to step 24 with instructions to "finish" the presentation and cover the hidden cams I was tired. I covered some of the hidden cams and put the rest in a ziploc bag to complete another day when I have more energy.This took me all morning to assemble but I tend to take my time. I'm not a natural so I was pleased with the end result. I have to attribute the success of assembly to great directions and quality hardware.Now the unit is assembled it is very sturdy and looks just as advertised. What I didn't expect was that it would be so large. I have an apartment and this will take some time to get used to maneuvering around. I am appreciative that the corners do not protrude beyond the table. I had concerns it may be a hazard for the dog. Fortunately, the table is not the same height as my dog's eyes and the corners are not sharp and protruding. I think this would be safe for a household with children learning to walk. Certainly pet friendly for smaller dogs. Just a matter of time before the cat believes it is her new perch.I would have called this a tea table rather than gaming table. It is very wide and you can fit an entire tea service on it for entertaining along with service for four. I like this table and I think that it is well designed. Just be careful of the measurements for your home. You get a lot of table for this price and the quality is superb.

Broken leg and panelWith the assistance of my wife we carefully put it together. When I got to the leg and panel I pushed hard and the particle board broke. The leg is now unstable. Also when I pushed one of the dowels into the panel it went through. I only pushed and did not use a hammer. We put it together and it looks great. Just what we wanted. But now one leg is unstable and will probably break again. I spackled the dowel area that broke through the panel and used spackle and gorilla glue for the leg. But as I said it is now too unstable.

My son & his friends are chess fanatics, so I had to scoop this up as soon as I saw it! Assembled it myself, took about an hour, went as expected with really clear instructions. Sauder is a well known company that has been making furniture for a long time, so the instructions were perfect with no weird Chinese to English translation errors. Once assembled, the table was really heavy, but because it is flat pack furniture, I made sure to get my hubby to help me lift it to move it, rather than trying to slide it into location by myself. I did a good job assembling this, but the weight coupled with the skinnier legs make for possible damage if you push it around, especially on carpet. You have the option of the chess board or a rustic-looking, solid color farmhouse brown on the flipside. We have this set up for chess 24/7. You can remove the top to find storage space for more games, or whatever you want to hide away within the table. I love this feature! I've recently purged the game closet of all of the baby stuff, leaving just a few games that we all like to play now, and they all fit here, so now I can use the game closet for linens & backup toiletries - super happy about that! I like to do a big puzzle during the summer, so I'm excited to try out the removable tray for this. I'm really happy with this table, it's a true game table that has already seen a ton of play, and will continue to serve this purpose for a long time. It looks great in the game room too! Overall, great table so far, at a great price at just under $250. I definitely recommend it!

The product was delivered to me with the corner of the chessboard table top chipped. I called the Sauder customer service and they gladly shipped me a replacement of the chess table top part. So if something defective came in your shipment, just call their customer service.

I missed my window for returning this, but it arrived completely broken, the box was ripped up. It’s useless.

This is a very impressive, high quality coffee table. Our previous coffee table was on its last legs (no pun intended). My oldest son is an avid chess club member, and the fact that this coffee table came with a reversible chessboard top, well that was just the icing on the cake!Construction and Assembly: The instructions are some of the best written, most detailed assembly instructions I have ever encountered! They even went as far as to introduce humor, which my wife and I found very entertaining. Things like recommending you get a snack, when collecting the tools needed to assemble the table. Assembly is somewhat more involved than most, and it even includes glue (which I have never seen before). The included wood glue is not a big deal, it helps to ensure the final assembled piece is super sturdy.Finish/style: The finished assembled coffee table, looks incredible. It is very heavy (91 pounds assembled) but that is perfect for my household, as living with kids, I can't have a flimsy coffee table. The finished table looks beautiful, and it really enhances the functionality and appearance of our living room. I also appreciate the hidden under-table storage (great for storing board games, or maybe a spare table cloth).Final rating: 5-stars all day - an excellent value for a well designed piece of household furniture!