Winsome Beech Wood Double Step Stool, Antique Walnut (94022)

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.

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.

This is a pretty and sturdy little step stool, just what I wanted for my walk in closet. It was hard to assemble, and I mean REALLY hard, as these things go. The instructions were fairly clear and all the holes lined up fine and all the parts were there. But it was extremely hard to get the wood screws in. I needed a hammer drill with hex and Phillips bits, a mallet, and my 33 year old son to do it for me. He is a welder, so a strong and capable kid, and he commented on how difficult it was. A sixty year old woman like me with a cordless drill and a tiny allen wrench was no match for it. So seriously think twice before purchasing this.

Pros: * Beautiful dark wood and elegant construction. You can leave it out all the time. * Easy to assemble. * Wide steps. * I didn't realize when I got it, but the ability to fold up the bottom step means this thing is great to just leave out with a small footprint. Cons: * None. I love this thing. I bought this because I have cats and large dogs and I feed the cats on a table above the reach of the dogs. However, one of my cats is 17 years old and her days of leaping up three feet are long gone. I had a basket that cut the distance down to half that, but she still sometimes fell. I searched all over for "cat stairs", but apparently no one has filled that little niche market yet. I had also tried an old wooden stepstool, but it had very narrow steps and after I watched her slip off that too I knew I had to do something. It really broke my heart to watch her, so I'm very thankful to have found this perfect stepstool. Each level is only a foot high now and the steps are wide enough that she feels safe and solid on each one. It's also not a bad thing that's it's so pretty it's a permanent fixture and readily available for me to move over a few feet and use to get in a high kitchen cabinet.

I like the color and the height is perfect. I have 8 ft tall cabinets and the seat is just right for sitting and standing on to get to the top shelf. The instructions are clear, step by step in drawings. One hint I’ll share is that grocery store birthday candles in the shape of a drill bit are the perfect size to screw into each predrilled hole to help the screws go. It is hardwood,not as easy as pine to screw into. I didn’t glue the plugs in case the screw need to be tightened later. I’m happy with the design and quality.

I agree with the other reviewers that this is tough to assemble. It's not the instructions--it's the strength it takes to screw in the hex screws. The worst part was the two round rods that you have to secure at each end with a hex bolt. The effort it took to hold the rod still to keep it from turning while each screw was tightened make me laugh/cry/say bad words (sometimes all at once). And it's not like you can hold it with a wrench without damaging the wood. Anyway, once it was together, I was happy, but in the hour it took to get it there, I was not. What I love about the finished product is that I can reach higher closet shelves in our bedroom and keep this cute, sturdy step stool out at all times. The folding step to reduce the footprint is a great idea, too.

I give this three stars because of the difficulty in putting it together. The directions were good, but there's no way one person could put this together (you're amazing if you did!). I got a deep splinter from one of the sides as I was putting it together as well, so I would suggest inspecting the pieces for rough edges first (or wearing work gloves). I read other reviews from people saying their stools broke. I can see why - if you don't press the pieces together tightly while you're putting it together, it leaves gaps. If you step down on it with gaps, it would bend and put pressure on different places unevenly. We had to take the smaller step apart twice before we could get rid of the gaps. As a tip, before trying to screw the round bars into place screw the screw into it first and then unscrew it (to get the hole pre-threaded). This will make it MUCH easier to put it in place. Otherwise, you're going to kill your hands trying to hold a slippery rounded wood bar while someone is putting pressure on it to turn. Once it's together, it's nice looking. I'm using it on carpet in a closet and it's working out well so far. I weigh less than 130 lbs and I don't know if I'd be comfortable stepping on it if I was heavier. My husband is avoiding it.

2nd stool I have purchased. I appreciate its sturdiness. It’s convenient & compact in my small kitchen. I often sit on it & eat my meal in the kitchen. I prefer the height of this stool over a bar stool. Iam about 5’ tall & it’s easier to sit on than a tall stool. Plus it’s within arms reach when I need a stool to reach up high. Screws take some muscle to drive in. Once I started getting it assembled I used the drill to help. I did see one hole that didn’t line up exactly but that didn’t prevent the assembly process. I believe the stool will hold up & it’s easy to wipe off. Cat hair likes to stick on it but we have pet hair about every where. Actually there’s a step stool & a vacuum always within reach around me.

Esperaba que fuera más fuerte ! Aún así es útil

Just one problem was that it had minor scratches and abit color was worn out. Otherwise perfect and well built quality.

Surprisingly good build, fit and finish. Very decent accent piece of furniture. Not too big, fairly small footprint when folded up, yet reasonable to sit on, and works very well as a step stool. Better quality than I imagined. Completely happy with this purchase. Took an hour to assemble.

Tout à fait conforme à la description, très pratique à utiliser, et léger donc facile à déplacer. Recommandé pour accéder facilement aux placards en hauteur sans sortir un escabeau de grande taille

Very nicely made and sturdy stool. Looks good, wood feels substantial. Was a bit tricky to put together, but holds together well.