Coaster Home FurnishingsHowie 10-Shelf Bookcase Cappuccino

This is the first product I have ever reviewed and I buy a lot of stuff. I absolutely love this bookcase! It is nowhere near as difficult to put together as some reviews have indicated. I highly recommend "pre-assembling" this on the floor exactly as it looks in the picture. We had everything lined up perfectly before we put the first drop of glue and the first dowel in. Another reviewer has a very useful pic with all 21 boards labeled. I couldn't print out her pic but you can mark the letters onto the picture on the cover of the instructions, (or print out the main image for the product and mark it.) This is the single most helpful thing you can do, (thanks Miranda Z!)The instructions are not bad but can be confusing. On the cover, the case is pictured as it is here, with the small square box on the bottom left. The instructions then reverse the picture on the last page. Also, if you wish to build it as it looks in the picture above, the nearly 6ft long left side panel needs to have holes in the middle of the board to accommodate shelf "F". The instructions say the left side panel is board "A" but the board with the holes about halfway down it's length was labeled as "B" in my box. So for me, I switched the sideboards "A" and "B" but otherwise went by Miranda's picture.Also, you will not run out of wood glue as long as you put one small drop into each dowel hole, that is all you need. (Do not put glue into the cam bolt holes!) We had a bit of glue left over. The four "C" boards, two "G" boards, and the four "I" and "J" boards are identical, just be sure to position them correctly. All you need to assemble this is a good Philips head screwdriver and maybe a rubber mallet to tap in the dowels, (and for an occasional light tap on the boards.) I haven't used the anti-tipping straps yet but I may later. This case is solid and sturdy and shouldn't go anywhere unless you have kids who try to grab hold of it. Each board is about 1 1/4" inch thick and the entire unit weighs about 80 pounds.It really goes together nicely if you take your time and pay attention to the picture. Every board fits flush and perfect. If you have trouble getting a board to go in flush, loosen the cam lock a bit. Also, when tightening the cam lock, push in slightly so that the lock "sits" into place.I just ordered my second one of these. I got both of mine in white, which has a very classy, clean look to it. This is easier to put together with some help, (my brother came over and gave me a hand), but one person could probably handle it. Put on some tunes, take your time, and you will love this when you are finished.

The hardware did not pull the pieces together very tight on the internal cube-like shelves so there are gaps in the corners of the shelves. It isn't very sturdy, if anything bumps into it (and I have two young boys, so it happened twice before they learned to stay away) it tends to tilt alarmingly. I had only had this shelf for about a month when I got up on a stool to dust off the top and found a stress fracture right through the middle of the top piece. The shelves have also already started to tilt out of shape because of the material that is used to make them. When they say each shelf can only hold 11lbs, I guess they weren't kidding. All I put on one of the shelves were a couple of coloring books for my son and the whole unit seems to have gone out of shape. :-( I'm sadly disappointed with this product.On the bright side, is that it is a pretty looking shelf. I have ordered something different in hard wood to store school books on and this one will be relocated to be a more decorative shelf in a more out of the way space.

Would have given it 5 stars but there was damage from shipping especially in the corners. Packaging needs additional corner protection. Also a 2 tube of wood glue wouldn’t hurt. This is the second Coaster bookcase I’ve bought and assembled and they are great.

Now that it is assembled, I really like it and have received several compliments. It is perfect for the space in my office. It was not easy to assemble though.A side note.. when the box first arrived, the hardware kit had been damaged and the cam screws were loose in the box and falling out as I moved it. I was missing pieces. I contactedcustomer service and the lady was very helpful and sent another kit and it arrived quickly.

I got 2 of these for my living room. They are really good quality, sturdy. I love the thick shelving, not the thin stuff. It looks so much better. They look very stylish and elegant. They were nice originally, but I wanted them to be taller, so I bought 4" wooden legs at Lowes, painted them white, and screwed and glued them into the bottom of the shelf. It was such an improvement! My only problem is with the black fabric straps it comes with to attach them to the wall to prevent tipping. The cabinet is white. The wall is white. The anti-tip straps are black, and they show. I will be buying something else to use instead.

There’s just one little spot that wouldn’t go together tightly but other than that I love it. I bought extra wood glue so I can make sure that it would hold together well. I always glue the pegs the screws and the seams When I put something together. It came with a tiny tube of glue for the pegs. The directions are fine if you follow them slowly and carefully. All sides are finished.

Finally found the time to put together which took about 2 hours. Lay it out totally (in the room it will go as it is heavy) as per picture before gluing and securing together. We secured to wall and floor with 3 long screws as it is top heavy on carpet. There were enough hole covers for these new holes. The bookshelf replaces a brick planter which separated the living room from doorway. Love the see-thru ability. Got the cappuccino color (dark brown/black). It is heavy, but came well-packaged. We choose this bookshelf because we liked the style of it, not your standard bookshelf. We love it!