For the price this is a great buy! My boyfriend and I built this in about an hour and a half. (And by that, I mean mainly my boyfriend.) just put on some music and you’ll be done in no time. We used a drill to put this together as well, which I would highly recommend. We didn’t run into any issues with the wood splitting. The instructions were fairly easy to follow, though I have a few recommendations that will make putting this together a lot easier:1. Take out all the pieces and lay them out in an organized fashion on the floor. (You don’t have to do this but it just makes it easier to grab what you need during each step)2. You will notice that the directions tell you to put screws in the middle of the rails in step 2, but there isn’t a hole for it. Don’t worry, the instructions are very generic, so you really do not need this third screw unless you absolutely want to and planning on loading the draws with a pile of bricks. (You will understand when you have the instructions in-hand but I will add photos)3. Follow steps 3-5 exactly. The rails are also marked with an “DL” or “DR”4. If you want to add the two pieces on the side. DO NOT add them after Step 5. The instructions have these two pieces as steps 6, 7 and 8 but if you build it in that order step 9 will be a living hell to get on. (Not impossible, just tricky) SO, complete step 9 first by adding the middle bar, and then go back and do steps 6-8. (We took our two pieces off, to better fit or kitchen and the look we were going for)5. Follow steps 10 and 11 exactly.6. In step 12 you will be putting on the wheels. Note that the instructions say to use 16 of the K screws. Don’t do that, as you’ll need the other K screws for step 15. Do not let this confuse you. Simply use the small package of screws that are inside of the bag of wheels.7. In steps 13, you really don’t need that many nails. I would just do 4-5 on each side and move on to step 14.8. The doors. The instructions want you to attach all four of the tan “hinges” at once and then connect the doors to the cart. Yeah, don’t do that. Drill/screw in one hinge to the top of one door. Place the door in the cart by sticking the peg inside of the hole in the corner. Then take the second tan hinge and add it to the bottom peg hole without attaching it to the door yet. Once this is done, slightly open the door panel, align the bottom part of the door with the bottom hinge, and slide it in so that the holes for the screws match up. Then drill/screw in those two screws. (This will make since when you are actually building it and are at this step) Do the same for the other door.9. Two of the wheels have locks on them. You can unlock them by flipping the notch located on the side of the actual wheel. Then you can freely move the cart around or lock it in place. Then you’re done!!!!I really wish someone would’ve gone through and made a post like this, instead of saying the directions/instructions are hard to follow. They are not, we were able to figure these tips and tricks after trial and error, so I’m hoping this post will help save you some time. :)The only thing I’m not fond of is the gap in between the doors. This is definitely on the manufacturer as I am sure so people’s doors were the perfect length for the kitchen cart. I’ll probably put a small white card board backing on the back of one of the doors so that this gap is less noticeable. Overall I absolutely love the cart and would highly recommend it. It’s the perfect counter height, and easy to paint or add a marble vinyl to the top to customize it to your kitchen. (Or wherever your putting it). Like I mentioned earlier, please use a drill if you have one, it’ll save you time, hassle and you straining your hands to turn a screwdriver. Also put on some music, it will take you at the least 45- 50 minutes. If it takes you longer, it’s okay, it’s not the end of the world. ;)