Bush Somerset 71" L-Desk, Maple Cross Finish

Ok here goes... I just bought this desk w/Hutch. It took me about 6 hours with a friend to put just the desk unit together. Hutch is still in the box which would take another 3 hours I bet. It is heavy duty and sturdy for pressboard. But it don't take a lawyer to know with paper wood grain finish that you shouldn't even get water near it or use a coaster, now that being said... I'm pretty mad that the drawers wont line up or shut right! If the builders would fix that problem it would be a very nice desk unit for the price.

Purchased this desk for personal use at home. Although it is difficult to put together and time consuming, if you can assemble it without destroying it,it is quite a beautiful and functional desk. The issue with the top drawer is the same as everyone else says(you'd think they would fix that problem by now)but if you adjust the plastic bracket inside the drawer, it works fine.

We bought a set of this style (71" L-desk, hutch, bookcase, and two lateral drawers) for our computer room at home. We took advantage of the free hutch offer which they run occasionally, and I would recommend that you do the same even if you have to wait a bit. The room was completely gutted so we had the full empty room to spread out all the parts. It would've been difficult any other way. I didn't find any of the directions to be too difficult as long as you read them thoroughly and lay out everything you need ahead of time for each particular step. For some of the steps involving larger parts (most notably the tabletops and the backing) the directions on that page say that a second person to help you is recommended. Heed this advice. It doesn't even have to be an incredibly strong person but just someone who can hold the other end and keep it in place while you screw it in. Also as another reviewer said, a power screwdriver was absolutely a must during assembly. What a savior mine was. But DO NOT over-torque the screws or you can pop them right through the other side of the wood if you are too aggresive with them. I had the torque dial on mine set to 12 out of 24 and it worked out very well for most of the directions. Once it was finally done, the top drawer was rubbing against the top trim piece to the point where it wouldn't close all the way, but after a little adjusting I got it to close with a barely noticeable rub. Overall it is a nice piece and looks good. It feels pretty sturdy once it is all together. It will get light use in our home so it won't see excessive use/abuse like it might in a busy office environment. I don't know how it would hold up in an abusive environment but for our purposes I think it'll be fine. I would say I'm quite happy with the whole set so far and will hopefully continue to be. With that said, one major flaw that I saw with it is that I could not believe that it doesn't have desk grommets built into the desktops to slip wires through from the top of the desk to underneath. I ended up having to get an extension wire for the mouse because it was just barely not long enough to snake behind the desk then down underneath the backing, and up into the computer compartment. And speaking of the computer compartment, I am considering doing what another reviewer did and drill out some holes in the back for better ventilation. I'm a little uncomfortable with how warm it's been in there with the computer running and the door shut, and it's not even summer yet. I'm going to keep an eye on that situation. None of these negatives, however, would prevent me from recommending the desk to others with similar usage needs as me and I am happy with it.

I had already reviewed this desk earlier, but after owning it for a bit longer, I feel compelled to write another review.
Basically, what happened was I spilled some water on it and didn't clean it up fast enough, and like another reviewer mentioned, the top got completely ruined. It soaked up the water and bubbled. This should NOT happen with a desk, under any circumstances. Desks should at least be able to take a little bit of water on the surface without this happening.
I am now rating this as 1 star due to it's lack of being a permanent desk (water is bound to make contact with the desk, sooner or later).

I am using the product in my home office for everyday use. I also use the desk for scrapbooking. When I got it, I thought I would be able to assemble myself (I am a woman who does my own home improvements & am a perfectionist). However, I had to get assistance from my mom to assemble it. Together we put it together in about 5-7 hours. However, whenever we pushed down on the top of the desk, it cracked. I was very disappointed & upset about it because I needed it to use immediately that day. However, when I called the 1-800 number, they said they would replace the top and didn't ask a million questions. They simply asked for the product number & the piece letter from in the instruction booklet. My one piece of advice is...if you get the warranty (which I did) make sure you keep the booklet because if you ever have a problem, you will definitely need to have that.

Even the top plates are laminated just with paper (yes, with paper) which goes bad very easily. If you put a glas of water with a wet bottom for more than 3 minutes on the desk the top is ruined forever. For a [$]desk (incl. tax) that's a shame! A pity because the desk looks good and is practical - one of the very few good looking 71" l-desks.