Okay, so these are not the highest quality I've ever seen, but then again, they are no where near as pricey as the nicer chairs I've seen, either. Hubby and I put them (4) together out on the lawn one evening--it was actually a nice activity on a quiet weeknight. (An ice-cold G & T to sip on didn't hurt either) The instructions were 'okay' enough for us to figure them out with few problems and of course, by the 4th one, we were experts. ha haWe originally intended to paint them white, but we've both decided we kind of like the 'cedar' color. There is one knot in the wood on one of the arms that needs some sanding before someone gets a gnarly splinter, but still, these didn't cost us anywhere near $450. That little amount of extra time is still worth it.Helpful tip: When you are finished, set it on a hard surface, we used a cement patio, and manhandle it to make sure it is straight. Then go through and give all the screws one more tweak to tighten them. For some reason, all of ours came out a little crooked, but this does the trick.