★★★★★ 3
Great shelves for the price (~$15), but could be better.
Unlike many others here reviewing the item, I took note of the dimensions & the rough surface of the wood *before* purchasing it & read the instructions that tells you how NOT to assemble it. So my review won't be mentioning how it was smaller than I expected, how unexpectedly rough the wood was, or the fact that it fell off my wall because I didn't read the instructions.
About how NOT to install it- never screw into the board such that the weight is relying on the *screws* to keep it up. Whichever way you place the brackets in relation to the wood, above or below, make sure the weight is ON THE BRACKETS. In other words, *never* screw in from THE TOP OF the shelf.
The instructions specifically point this out, so if you see any reviews about the screws stripping out of the wood and the thing crashing to the floor-- they didn't read the instructions and they assembled it incorrectly.
And no, unlike what some reviews here are telling you, it is not painted plastic. It is wood.
I sanded it, it's wood. They tell you that in the description of the item, too.
Paulownia, but yes, the weight of it reminds you of styrofoam, which isn't a bad thing. Ive read its a sturdy wood, relative to how much it weighs.
I was already expecting rough boards when I bought it, but on top of that fact the surface had the grossest hand-feel I've ever felt (probably from the surface + the paint they used) that I ended up lightly sanding it with 120 grit (which helped a ton with the feel while also doing very little to the painted surface) and painted it with some white paint that we had on hand (it was originally grey). Much better.
The brackets getting in the way of screwing is awful because I don't have a 90° angle screwdriver, but it worked out alright enough. The resulting angle wasn't severe by any means, but still I recommend making sure you have a 90° angle screwdriver before purchasing because I'd much rather it be nice, clean, flush screws.
One point of serious suggestion for the seller would be that the brackets need more than a quick dot of welding. Even though my brackets came relatively even and all with unbroken welding, judging from other reviews and looking at mine, this is an area that could definitely do with some improvement.
Another suggestion for the seller would be to include a few extra drywall anchors. I ended up breaking three of them trying to get them in my drywall and now I have to go find some replacements.
I think our drywall is about as petrified as our studs because in looking up external sources for the best method of installing these types of anchors (to make sure I wouldn't break any. smh) they recommend to NOT predrill, as these are made with no predrilling in mind.
However, when trying to initially gently hammer them in with my rubber mallet as the instructions stated, they just weren't penetrating the drywall very far and I even made sure to pierce the paint layer (which is recommended if your walls have a thick layer of paint from over the years). I actually ended up quite extensively drilling in order to get the first portion of the anchors (before the threads) into the wall without doing too much damage to the anchors.
Ive gotten two of the three shelves up but can't get the last one up until I get more drywall anchors. So far so good. Lightly hand sanded and a couple coats of paint slapped on them and I quite like them.
Definitely takes a lot of time installing them though, so expect that before going into it.
Rated 3 stars for the gross hand-feel, the brackets needing more welding, the brackets that could've been more even with each other, the lack of warning that you'd need a 90° angle screwdriver, and the lack of backup drywall anchors.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2023
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