Very nice table, convenient and adjustable
I really like this desk, which is currently living at my bedside. The laminate is decent, and if taken care of shouldn’t show any wear for quite a while. The height is very adjustable. It does wobble more easily the higher it’s set, of course, but has stayed stable even though I have it set as high as it will go. The metal components are strong and will last a long time. It’s easy and quick to assemble, though it’s helpful to have a second person when assembling the bottom of the metal frame. This sort of furniture can last a long, long time, but it often gets discarded due to poor assembly and maintenance. Here are some things I’ve learned through many years of putting together similar items, as well as advice for this desk in particular. 1. Tighter is not better! Run the bolts in by hand, then use the hex-key to go a little farther, until you feel it start to take a bit of effort to tighten them. Then go no more than a quarter-turn to make the bolts snug. Do NOT try to crank them down as tight as they will go. If you really crank the bolts at the start, they pull against their connections in the wood of the table-top, and they also put too much pressure on the screw-threads. With everyday wiggling, the bolts eventually become just a little bit loose. Noticing that it’s getting more wiggly than it was at the start, you think maybe you can fix it by tightening the bolts again, and crank them down again; but that only adds more stress, and that’s when the furniture starts to break. The bolts holding the top to the metal might pull right out of the wood, or the threads of the bolts might strip. 2. You just put it together? Note when you did that and mark your calendar for 6 months later; every 6 months, it’s good to give the bolts a quick check to be sure everything is still snug. That keeps your table from wobbling. When the table is wobbling due to loose screws, it’s wearing itself out. 3: With this table, when you put the bottom two legs on (I think these are both the #4 pieces), start out with the two long bolts, and get them most of the way (not all the way) screwed in before you put in the two smaller bolts to each side. Otherwise, when the two small bolts are in, it’s harder to get the long bolt to thread properly. 4. It sure doesn’t hurt to put a waterproof placemat or other cover on the laminate top! Laminate is way too easy to damage when it gets wet. It’s waterproof on top, but if some of the water happens to get in at the edge, it’ll bubble up the top. So; it’s just better to cover it, if you want to get at least a decade of use out of it. 5. Set it as low as is reasonable for the job you’re doing. If it’s set high, it’s not only more wobbly, it’s easier to tip over. The fact that I made these five suggestions is NOT an indication that the table is low quality; it’s pretty standard fare for a home-use side-table, and its overall construction is quite good for something the customer puts together. I like mine, and I’m already using it constantly. Read more
