Unfinished Tall Shaker Coffee Table by International Concepts - Solid Wood Modern Farmhouse Living Room Furniture for Home Decor

My brief review of this table is that it is an excellent price, well designed and nicely shaped. The wood is well prepared for finishing. It was well packaged, arrived in a timely fashion and was easy to assemble. I have provided below a detailed review of my experience with the table.SIZE and USEThe height (18")is perfect for using the table with a couch for casual dinners when you are holding your plate. It is 42" wide. I would have preferred a couple of more inches in width but it it is fine with a regular sized couch. It is quite deep in comparison to a typical coffee table, it is 24" front to back and many are about 18". The depth and height are two aspects that make it such a nice table for dinner and a movie when perched on the couch.ASSEMBLYPutting the table together took just a few minutes. The bolts were packaged well and the instructions were clear. For assembly, you place a bolt with washer though the fitting on the leg and into the hole on the underside of the table and attach it using the included Allen wrench. There are two sturdy bolts for each leg. The table is very stable This is easily done by one person.APPEARANCEAs one reviewer pointed it, the top is not a solid piece. That reviewer mentioned it was like butcher block. I agree. Imagine standard wood flooring cut table size. It appears that way to me.The parts are well proportioned and the edges pleasantly shaped. The 90 degree angles such as on the legs are even and distinct. The edge of the table top is well shaped and has a slightly rounded aspect that makes the table seem "comfortably used" rather than just manufactured. The sharp edge has also been taken off the corners. You would not notice this slight rounding unless you were exploring the table with your hands to complete the finish. They are very nice details.FINISHINGI took care as I finished the table and I was surprise that I was able to achieve a fine furniture finish on the wood. I intended to use this table as a "test case" to learn how to use the finish for some nicer furniture I wanted to finish. I used General Finishes oil-based gel which is a hand-rubbed finish Georgian Cherry Gel Stain, Quart accompanied by the GF Gel Topcoat Satin with a hand rubbed finish.The table took stain well. There were some areas that had significantly different absorption rates due to the joining of the different boards. There were a couple of areas that did not take stain well at all. These were on the side so it is not obvious but it almost appeared that there was something on the wood. I used a very fine sand paper to reduced the color on the darker areas and increase the absorption in the two small ares that did not take the stain. The legs stained beautifully.Using the hand-rubbed finish did take some waiting between coats. I am glad I took the time even thought it was a several day process. I ended up with nice coffee table rather than the functional one I expected.