Just what we need in our home office. Good value for hardwood and easy to put together. I usually make my own but I was too ill to fool with it and when this arrived I am glad I didn't. It is not very sturdy so I glued every part and did some minor reinforcements to make it more secure. They were not totally necessary but sometimes my gigantic cat jumps up on things and I wanted to make sure he would not weaken it. Both sides of the top fold down so you can fit it in a tight space. The wood is natural and good hardwood that takes a nice stain with a good grain that resembles oak. It is probably rubber-wood. I used wiping oil base stain and hand rubbed the top with tongue oil and it has held up well for almost 2 years. This is a good buy and a nice piece in our home office. We use it every day.