Sauder Barrister Lane Bookcase/ Book shelf, White Plank finish

We are no strangers to flat pack furniture and Sauder has been our go-to for years. We have a pair of dressers from them that we purchased 20 years ago that have held up beautifully. So when I was looking for the 'perfect' bookshelf that wouldn't break the bank and saw a Sauder product that I liked, I was comfortable purchasing it. Now, if you are looking for heirloom quality, solid wooden furniture...well, you probably wouldn't be looking on Amazon. But if you just want a decent flat-pack that will look nice and hold up well, I don't think you can go wrong with this one. First of all, the wood. Yes, this is MDF (I think some of the edge pieces might be solid). It looks beautiful though. The veneer finish is gorgeous and from a distance most people are probably going to think it's real. I am incredibly happy with the color that we picked out. Lots of wood grain detail. If the longevity of our dressers is any indication, I'm not worried about it peeling. Assembly. My husband is pretty good at putting things together and he DID have to concentrate quite hard on the instructions (he actually READ the instructions, which might be a first). So I think that slow and steady is the key. It went together well, there are just a LOT of screws and tiny pieces. Took maybe an hour and a half? Everything is labeled nicely and the hardware comes with the different pieces separated out in a blister pack, so that you don't have to sort all your pieces first. We panicked at first thinking the backing was missing...it wasn't, it's just folded up into 3rds so it looks like a regular board at first glance. Tools used: an electric drill and a hammer. The only part that looks a little cheap is the backing. Which is true of basically any non-solid wood furniture piece. It's a very thin wood, almost cardboard, and the only part where the wood design is more obviously a sticker. Once installed though it is pretty unnoticeable. It comes in 2 pieces and you WILL have to pound about 30 million tiny nails to get it to lay flush against the back. Now, here's my hack if you just really hate the backing and want to do something a little different...I've done this on another bookshelf. Go to your local hardware store and purchase some beadboard. You'll probably need two or more pieces and you will either need the tools to cut them yourself or you will need to have the store cut them to measure for you. Take them home. Paint them a fun color. Using the tiny nails, nail them on to the back just like you would the original backing. (Make sure you measure so that the seams between multiple pieces meet where they are hidden by a shelf.) There. You have a back that is sturdier than the original, and also fun. (Honestly the sky's the limit. Instead of beadboard with the 'stripes' you could get a solid piece and cover it with wallpaper.) Anyhow, I am extremely happy with this piece. It seems sturdy and solid. My husband is a little concerned about moving it around and says 'don't lift from the top' because he doesn't think it will hold up to that.' So, I guess build it in the room in which you plan on using it.

I am absolutely thrilled with these bookcases and wholeheartedly give them a five-star rating! As someone who considers myself a pro DIYer, I found them incredibly easy to put together. The instructions were clear, all parts were well-labeled, and the construction felt sturdy as it came together. I had them assembled and ready to fill in no time. However, I would definitely recommend getting some help if you're not used to assembling furniture. While straightforward for experienced hands, some of the larger pieces or steps might be a bit awkward to manage solo for a novice. An extra pair of hands would make the process even smoother for those less accustomed to DIY projects. Once assembled and stocked with books and classroom supplies, these bookcases truly shine. I've received so many compliments from other teachers on my bookshelves! They look fantastic, provide ample storage, and have completely transformed the organization and aesthetic of my classroom. The quality and finished look are superb, making them appear far more expensive than they actually were. A Note on Mobility for Frequent Movers One important consideration, especially for educators, is that these bookcases can be difficult to move if your school is constantly changing rooms or if you anticipate frequent classroom reconfigurations. While sturdy, they are not designed for easy disassembly and reassembly or for being slid around heavy-laden. If you're someone who often finds themselves packing up and moving to a new classroom each year, this is something to keep in mind. Despite that small caveat regarding mobility, if you're looking for sturdy, stylish, and highly functional bookcases that are a breeze for a DIY enthusiast (or manageable with a bit of help), these are an exceptional choice. They've not only solved my storage needs but also elevated the look of my space.

To be honest, it took about 5 hours to put this together and it was difficult. First, if you can't crawl around on the floor, but you still want this piece, find a younger person, perhaps a college student, and promise them a free meal and a few dozen cookies if they will do it for you. I also had some difficulty in some areas. To start, I just skipped their first step which was to put all the hidden cams and cam dowels in the shelves and uprights. I was afraid the hidden cams would fall out if I leaned the pieces and I don't have that much floor space to lay them out flat. It's easy enough to put the cams and the cam dowels in these pieces when you are ready to use the pieces in the assembly. Second, for Step 2, you need to put the molding pieces (pieces, N, O, and P) on something hard when you pound in the connectors. They don't go in well at all if you leave them on the carpet where it is recommended you put the bookcase together. Third, I don't understand why it was necessary for the pilot holes for the 1 7/8-inch screws to attach the top rails (pieces L and M) to be so small. I regret not making them larger with a drill because I think exerting pressure on the top (piece F) because I was exerting so much pressure on the screwdriver to screw in the screws caused the particle board on the top to bend. I now have a crease in the laminate on the top. At least it's not visible in the dark corner where I put the bookcase. My recommendation is to drill larger pilot holes. The top rails add nothing to the structure of the piece, they are decorative only. So what if they end up wobbling a bit? The rest of the bookcase up to Step 9 was fairly straightforward. I have never used these cam dowels before, and I doubted their ability to hold the bookcase together, but through flipping it over and dragging and pulling it two rooms over to place it, it has held together well. With Step 9, it says to fasten the angle brackets to the ends of the bookcase (pieces A and B) and the bottoms (G). Then you attach the front skirt (J) to the brackets. When fastening the angle brackets to the ends and the bottom, do not tighten the screws. Let them wiggle a little. Then when you attach the front skirt, do the same and finally fasten all the screws completely. If you tighten the screws into the ends and the bottoms, the holes in the skirt may not align with the holes in the angle brackets. And the only problem after that is that the cam covers just don't fit inside the space in the cams. But these are barely visible anyway so I didn't worry about it. My piece is beautiful. It's very sturdy and the baskets I bought at Target fit into the cubbies quite well. The color of the bookcase goes with every neutral color that I have in my house whether it's black, gray, or beige. I'm using it at my entry to put things into as we walk into the door rather than finding everyone's purses, books, sweater, jackets, caps, and other what-nots on my dining room table. (I attached a Command hook to hold my husband's jacket and cap that he takes to work.) I highly recommend this bookcase.

I live in an apartment that won't let you wall-mount your flat screen TV's so this was PERFECT for the bedroom. High enough for you to lay in your four post bed and binge watch all day if you want. Wide enough to put a good sized screen on (mine is a 55") but not so deep as it sticks out in the room. Very sturdy and very attractive. Lots of pieces so it takes awhile to put the thing together but engineered very well and with easy directions to follow. My only nit-picky complaint... Naturally it's a printed veneer over particle board / HDF product and that's what I expected. The singular box that this comes in weighs a LOT. I don't doubt that this thing gets dropped a few times as the warehouse person and the poor FedEx driver grabs it, by themselves, drops it, (crunch) and groans, "HOLY S##T that's HEAVY!!" And even though there are adequate corner guards on the box, the poor veneer shows just what kind of treatment it endured, trying to survive the trip to your house. Be ready for some corner chipping. Mine wasn't anything that couldn't be made less noticeable by some linseed oil and the magic of a black sharpie. DEFINATELY not worth repackaging and sending back. Maybe ship it in two boxes? Idk... Anyway, HECK YEAH!!! :-D Nice piece, looks even better than the pictures, you'll LOVE it!

Great look, easy to assemble with instructions. Sturdy shelves.

Love this storage hutch. I actually bought one of these several years ago and it has held up super well so when I needed another storage hutch for my kids room just got another one. It is very sturdy, well made, durable, and aesthetically pleasing. It can easily be used for a kids room or in a more formal setting such as an office. It holds a TON of stuff. I use totes in some of the cubbies to hold small miscellaneous toys and that works great but the compartments are also perfect for book storage, etc. Love the color, pictures are very accurate on color.

This looks exactly like the advertised picture! It's a beautiful piece of furniture; I've gotten a lot of compliments on it already! I was worried after reading reviews from others that it's very unstable. I don't find that to be true at all! Mine is very sturdy abs I was able to move it songs just fine with it maintaining its structure completely. It never once felt fragile or felt like it would come apart or come loose from anywhere. This was a great purchase! I'M SO glad I got this! I homeschooling, and bought this to store our homeschool supplies, books, and other learning materials. I use the bottom compartments for shoes, so my kids don't just kick them off anywhere in my house. I can't stand that! Anywhere, the cubby compartments are large, and fit everything I needed to store neatly, and it's also easily accessible for the kids to get themselves. On the backing of this unit, there are hole punch-outs you can access if you'd like, to run electrical cords neatly through. This really is a great affordable piece of furniture. I am so glad I bought it!!!

I absolutely LOVE this bookcase!! I had been looking at it for quite a while and finally got it as a Deal of the Day during the Prime Day extravaganza, and I'm so impressed. Not only is this just about the heaviest piece of furniture I've ever bought, but if you're looking for good quality for a low price, look no further. It was pretty easy to put together, although I didn't read the directions super carefully and ended up having to take things apart and reassemble them on multiple steps. If you make sure you know which sides are which and which pieces should be facing a specific way, you could probably get it assembled by yourself in about 1.5-2 hours, although that's a conservative estimate. You do need a hammer and a Phillips' head screwdriver, which are NOT included. The only thing that was a bit of a surprise to me is the size. It's about 4' tall and just under 4.5' wide, so it definitely didn't fit in the different spots I had considered putting it, but I'm not complaining. I have stacks of books all over the place, and now they'll finally have a cute place to live! I should also mention that the salt oak color is gorgeous in person, and very true to the online images. *Disclaimer: I live in an apartment building and have to go up a flight of stairs to get to my apartment. The box itself is 95-100 pounds. I ended up having to take half the pieces out of the box in order to get it into my apartment (because I wasn't going to ask anyone for help). Once assembled, I was able to move it to where I wanted, but I had to go mostly Friends-style by pivoting it until I got to the right spot.