WinsomeBeech Wood Double Step Stool, Antique Walnut (94022)

Just put it together. It's excellent. Higher than most stools in this category. Looks nice vs cheap plastic looking stools. I found easy to put together. Tip: Get a drill with proper allan-sized bit and 2.5 inch long Phillips bit - although not needed, will just go faster. Will zip right together. I recommend this stool. Bonus: Made in Thailand.

So impressed with this product, AND I found out the company is just up the highway from me, so a local USA made product!! Solid wood, good instructions and beautiful end result. I do suggest a cordless screwdriver for the nice tight fitting screws, and thread your screws into the holes beforehand tor help with the process once your holding all parts together to assemble, it makes this an easier start. The cordless is essential I believe because the pre-drilled holes are that just right tightness to make it solid, but also hard to do by hand.

The wood and paint is high quality, the assembly is kind of not easy. Functionality is good, stable and strong as a 2-step ladder. The issue is with the small stool. When trying to move it around single handed, the small stool always drag and drop on the ground first, make the other two legs harder to lay flat on the ground. It appears user would always have to fold the small stool inwards first, then move the ladder to a new position then unpack the small stool. Not very convenient when user is working with tools occupying one hand.

Assembling is required. Nice dark wood finish. Very sturdy and prefer to use indoors to retain it's nice wood finish.

I was desperate for a nice looking kitchen step stool. I am not impressed with a regular aluminum step stool, to me the aluminum looks like it should be on a construction site.I put this together myself. Here is where I feel I need to add a few caveats:1. If you are not good at understanding the directions with pictures only, no written description, it may be difficult for you.2. This is not an easy build. I am pretty confident of my abilities and this one was a bit tougher for me. Thankfully I have additional tools because in my opinion this is almost a 2 person build.3. It doesn't mention using wood glue in the pre - drilled holes. I used wood glue in the places that were made to fit the dowels. I also used wood glue to hold all the wooden caps that cover the areas that are drilled but have a screw inside, there are at least a dozen. Why did I use wood glue? It adds a bit of strength and it helps avoid future squeaks.4. I would have a pair of channel locks with a cloth to protect the wood available if you are like me and like a extra tight screw. (This is where 2 ppl would come in handy) I also used my own hex wrenches. The one that comes with it works, but I wanted a longer one. I also used my drill for the Phillips screws. Would have used it for the hex screws but have temporarily misplaced the hex wrench bit box.... Just my personal preference on the wrench. And again, adding wood glue to the screw areas is another level of strength, a good build, IMO.Although it is a bit difficult to build it is a beautiful piece. The finish is a high gloss acrylic, stained well, even shades, done very well, no runs. It will be good for kitchen spills, easy clean. (I have mostly antique pieces, so I can appreciate the finish in the kitchen.) Every piece was the correct size. There are EXACTLY the correct amount of screws and caps. No extras, so be careful of how you screw in each one. You don't want to have to go to the hardware store to replace one screw.Long review, but I wanted to make sure that you were aware this is not an easy build, IMO. But it is a great piece. I couldn't take a star off because it is a bit harder than most. I do get the impression this will be a long lasting item, as in the acrylic will wear and it will still be in use.I recommend this with the above caveats. Enjoy!It's 3/5/24 and I have been working on the upper shelf areas. I used this ladder rather than going to go get a construction ladder. Had to update to let you know that it didn't scratch anywhere. So in addition to the heavy duty wood the finish is high end, amazing.

Upgrading to five stars based on six months daily use. Just pay attention to my assembly instructions below and you’ll be rewarded with a very nice and useful piece of furniture. You can sit on it to put shoes and socks on or step up to reach hats on the top shelf. Nice looking, sturdy construction, quality materials, terrific instructions (see photo), clever design makes it usable as a stool or seat. The finish is nice looking but is not stained before the varnish is applied. It uses varnish stain and has held up very nicely in use. Now for assembly:All sixteen of the larger screws will NOT be usable in the holes tapped in the wood. If you do not redrill them, you absolutely will not be able to assemble this. Even if you do, if you use a 13/64 bit you may get by with a little silicon spray to make the screws go in easier. But, you may split the wood as you can see in the picture. Then you get out the wood glue and clamps and a longer screw and drill a deeper tap hole. This is not a fun repair. So, after the wood split with the first 13/64 redrilled tap hole, I switched to a 7/32 bit and re-tapped all the holes. Then you can actually drive all the screws manually HOWEVER.....the supplied allen wrench is completely useless. Even with the 7/32 tapped holes, it is not capable of driving the sixteen larger screws. You will need an allen key or a drill driver and a bit like the one shown in the pictures. Note the smaller screws fit in eight holes, are difficult to drive and require a long-reach, good quality phillips screwdriver to sink in (and a lot of effort). So here is a five star product which should be given only one star for the assemble nightmare. But, following my advice will get you through this. My guess is the average person will NEVER be able to get through the assembly and wind up returning it. Too bad, the manufacturer spent all that time on great instructions and quality design/materials and then drills the wrong size holes and provides a useless assembly tool. If you have the tools and are handy this could be for you.