Challenging AssemblyMichaelSimilar to what others have written, assembling the "BESTA" is a bit like playing hide and seek, only you don't know how many are playing.
There are multiple boxes & packages with this unit, which is fine. However, what is not fine is that IKEA does NOT include a master instruction guide. I simply started with the larger boxes and assembled, checked online at images etc. There will be extra pieces left over, there will be legs that the individual box instructions say to put on, that you will later have to remove in order to put on the legs that are in yet more boxes.
Plan to spend a good 4-5 hours on this piece of furniture.
Having shared all this, I am glad we purchased it, but IKEA really needs to improve the assembly instructions.4
Not worth the moneyJenniferThis is sold as a two piece unit with an extension of another piece, on the top there is a line so you don’t have a nice countertop. You will have to fork over another 80 bucks to get the IKEA top cover and that wood. Do not get the drawers. They are not worth your time and headache. It is impossible to level them and get them to be flush because of the push the push drawer capacity. Nightmare.1
Do not buyOwenUnfortunately did not listen to the many bad reviews. Although I didn’t find it difficult to assemble, the final product was dreadful. The quality is very very poor and many of the pieces don’t line up correctly. Ultimately, this is an enormous eyesore and I vehemently regret buying it.
LISTEN TO ME - DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT!!!1
No way to align doors and drawersSandraI have spent hours trying to align the doors and drawers it’s impossible. Not happy at all. If you
Like being frustrated beyond belief go ahead and purchase it otherwise don’t 1
drawers do not alignMarshaI love the look of this but the drawers do not align and it looks messy. I had taskrabbit assemble it and they mentioned that the screw holes were misaligned. I'm at a loss on how to proceed since it's put together.2
Absolute Nightmare to AssembleJessicaI really love Ikea and enjoy the look of this sideboard, but this was an absolute nightmare to put together. My husband and I tag-teamed this over 2 days. Taking breathers and reconvening to discuss and troubleshoot steps. Never in my decades of purchasing Ikea products have I encountered such baffling assembly instructions. 4
Unsatisfied with instructions VictorNot clear direction on how to put the sideboard together 1
Disorganized packagingMary AnnThe packaging was very disorganized. The item arrived in multiple small boxes, with drawers separately wrapped in plastic and the legs mixed in with unrelated items. It was frustrating to have to open everything just to figure out what belonged where. Overall, a very disappointing experience.1
Beautiful storage!JessicaI love the look of it and the versatily of storage with shelves and drawers. Now that it’s assembled I’m very happy with it.
Be aware that it comes in many boxes because it’s highly customisable. The good part of it and also easier to load and unload at home.
I could not give five star because it was so long to assemble especially with parts of the instructions in every boxes, what a puzzle! Drawers are more complicated to assemble than shelves and doors too, but worth it for me.
Second reason not to give five stars was that I discovered after purchasing everything that it’s best to add a top panel on it, and it creates such a beautiful look for sure, I chose the black glass one. But it should be easier to know, now you need to click details and after good to know to have the info.
Overall I’m pleased with it and would purchase again.4
Piece of junk KimI’ve had this for a few months, and it hasn’t been moved at all, yet it’s already falling apart. A professional contractor assembled it for me, so I know it was put together correctly, but it still keeps coming loose. It looks nice, but the quality is very poor. Definitely not worth the $500. I usually love IKEA, but this one is a hard no. Save your money—you’ll regret this purchase.1
Frustrating Assembly ExperienceStephanieThe assembly process was terrible. The furniture comes in multiple pieces with separate sets of instructions that are difficult to follow. It’s hard to know where to even begin, and I often found myself making mistakes because the instructions rely only on unclear diagrams with no written guidance.
If I had known the assembly would be this complicated and time-consuming, I would have chosen a better-looking piece that came pre-assembled. Even after all the effort, the finished product doesn’t look right—the cabinets and drawers are uneven and don’t function smoothly.
For beginners or anyone who isn’t experienced with DIY furniture, I would strongly recommend not to buy.1
Nice Product - Terrible Instructions!JayneThe product pieces arrived in good condition however, assembling them was a whole new challenge. The instructions provided pertain to the assembly of each individual piece but do not help with actually building this specific cabinet. The drawer placement was a complete guessing game. Also, be aware there is a seam on the top of the cabinet as it is a 2/3 and 1/3 piece put together - we purchased a glass top to cover this and were glad we had.3
Very sturdy unitBarbVery sturdy unit5
Great Home Office Cabinet. Would recommend.Anonymous reviewerHad this delivered, comes in a lot of pieces. The cabinet is relatively easy to put together. The thing that took the most time was the Center top drawer. Had to try a couple of different ways to install to get it aligned with the bottom drawer. Also point to note ; to open the bottom drawer need to open the door and then open the drawer since there are no handles or push open hinges provided for it. Gonna install one myself to avoid the 2 step drawer opening procedure. Apart from that it's a great product. Delivery was efficient and quick too.5