Coaster Home Furnishings Dining Chair

First off, below are some product specifics which are unclear or incorrect in the Amazon product info:Manufacturer: Coaster FurnitureModel Name: Damen Napoleon Dining Side Chair (part of the Damen Collection by Coaster)Model #: 4117These are NOT "Morrison" side chairs, but are as depicted in the photo (Damen Napoleon side chair).The chairs are nice, suitable for use in a kitchen or less formal dining room. I found the construction quality good.We ordered from Amazon seller "CozyStreet" and the items shipped via FedEx and the boxes arrived undamaged. CozyStreet also updated the Amazon order status with a tracking number, which is always nice.The white paint arrived without dents, scratches, or dings. Packing materials protected the chairs fairly well.Included with the chairs are all the hardware needed and a hex wrench. I also used a quality hex wrench from my toolbox, which made turning hex screws in some places much easier.Assembly was somewhat tricky given the tight spaces and requirement of screwing into hard wood. If you're not handy, call a handy person over to assist, and take your time, the chairs will come out fine. I am very handy, took my time, and assembly of two chairs took about 20 minutes.The chairs have a hand-carved shell in the top-center of the backrest (not visible in the photos online) which was a nice touch.The natural color seat portion of the chair has been shaped to fit a person's bottom, which is nice, and was also not visible in the photos.Lastly, the chairs are a bit larger than I expected (they are more dining room sized than kitchen sized) so check measurements in your room and table. The below dimensions are from the coasterfurniture website:Width: 20.5"Height: 38.5"Depth: 19.5"

We ordered six of these chairs, packaged in pairs. All six arrived quickly and well packaged. Assembly instructions are a bit sketchy, but there isn't much to the assembly so that was fine. The last chair I pulled out had a break in the back. The "return or replace" link on Amazon immediately defaulted to creating a return label, and I just wanted a replacement back. The Amazon representative I contacted on their online help clearly had trouble with English and was not understanding, but finally let me contact Rhodes furniture. They also were a little weak on communicating, and I had to contact them again to verify the replacement was being sent. However, they did send it out almost immediately and very well packaged.Overall, the quality is quite good on these chairs, particularly the wood used for the seats. I recommend gluing the joints as you assemble them and letting them sit for a while before use. As others have mentioned, the seats are not predrilled, so take some care in lining them up. After predrilling holes for the first chair I found that it wasn't really necessary. The screws drive in well without pilot holes, just make sure you line them up uniformly before inserting the screws.

The "instructions" weren't really instructions but mostly a few labled pictures to show you how the unit should look during assembly. Now, In my case I must tell you that I am a very handy person and didn't have any real problems. However, if I weren't, I can see that there could be many. So, I'm going to tell you several "tips" that will make things a lot easier and less frustrating. By-the-way, I reduced my assembly time from 1 hr. 5 min for the first chair to 25 minutes for the fourth chair--you know, the old learning curve.With the instructions in hand:1. In step 1 you are placing the SIDE RAILS into the FRONT LEG FRAME. Simple enough and fairly fool proof since the side rails are interchangeable (that's why there are two holes in the center, one up and one down). The only problem I had here is that the allen wrench was difficult to get into the brass screw top. Using a fine flat file, I filed down the very end just a little to give it a bit of a point. Be sure and file at a fairly sharp angle, about 30 to 45 degrees, so you leave plenty to seat into the screw. Another thing I did here was to add some wood glue to the slotted dowels and flat surface of the SIDE RAIL--a little goes a long way. The glue is not part of the instructions but it will add strength to you chair. Tighten.2. In step 2, when joining the FRONT LEG FRAME and SIDE RAIL assembly you just created, place the CHAIR BACK on its back on a flat surface (I used the floor on a piece of carpet so as not to scratch the back of the CHAIR BACK). Put screws in the top two holes only of the SIDE RAILS and insert them into the appropriate holes of the CHAIR BACK. You'll have to apply a little pressure to the SIDE RAILS to get them to fit in but that's normal. Start the two screws a few turns only. Now you can easly lift the FRONT LEG FRAME enough to insert the short and long STRETCHERS without having the SIDE RAILS come out of their holes. Once the STRETCHERS are in, insert the two remaining brass screws and tighten all four but leave the stretchers loose for now. Wow, it looks like a chair!.3. In step 3 put a blanket or several sheets of newspaper on a table or bench and place the WOOD SEAT upside down with the leg grooves away from you. Turn your chair assembly upside down and place it on top of the WOOD SEAT. For the rest of this part I used an electric drill with a 3/32 drill bit and a phillips driver with a 1 inch extender. Carefully align the chair assembly on to the seat so that it is flush in the rear and equally distant on both sides. In one side or the other, drill a pilot hole into the WOOD SEAT through the pre drilled hole in the SIDE RAIL using the 3/32 bit. If you are using a very long drill bit be careful not to drill through the WOOD SEAT. Using one of the SHORT PANHEAD SCREWS insert it tightly onto the WOOD SEAT with the phillips driver. Putting downward pressure on the chair assembly so it won't move, drill three more pilot holes in the WOOD SEAT through the three remaining holes in the chair assembly. Tighten down the three remaining SHORT PANHEAD screws. Next, twist the bottom STRETCHERS so that the predrilled screw holes are directly on the bottom of the chair and screw in the LONG PANHEAD SCREWS. Then, chances are your electric drill will not fit between the LONG and SHORT STRETCHERS and be able to line up with the screw heads in the SHORT STRETCHERS. If so, slightly twist the SHORT STRETCHERS towards you, just enough to allow your phillips driver to line up correctly with the screw head. Screw in the four remaining LONG PANHEAD SCREWS and your done.Hope this helps.