Customer Reviews for Catskill Craftsmen Grand Americana Natural Wood Kitchen Cart with Storage

Pay for assembly. They can do it best.This is a strong well made item.

The butcher block top is really nice. The rest of the wood on the island is kind of flimsy and cheap looking. If I would have seen it in person I wouldn’t have bought it.

A fantastic high quality kitchen cart we love it. The wood components are of high quality solid wood and easy to assemble. Built to last a lifetime.

SUPERIOR KITCHEN ISLAND. WELL MADE ,SOLID WOOD. I DID CALL THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE ONCE WITH A QUESTION. A PERSON ANSWERED ON THE THIRD RING AND QUICKLY SOLVED MY QUESTION. WE WILL PURCHASE ANOTHER ITEM SHORTLY.

Rating provided by a verified purchaser

Materials are of good quality. Assembly can be challenging and you need to really study the provided instructions to not miss any steps or else you will need to disassemble to complete the assembly. Once assembly was completed my wife loved the unit and is loving using it. Would recommend but with warning of assembly challenges will require some patience.

This is a well built kitchen card that adds needed storage space to our kitchen. It is sturdy with quality hardwood. It does not use veneers or particle board. The one issue I had was a shortage of 4 screws for the drawer slides. It took me several tries to find the right screws that would not interfere with the wheels on the drawers.

came with damaged top but customer service was great,They sent new top in timly manner.After learning fastners went togather solid with no problems. Very happy with Island.

love it and that,s all i have to say

I'm a 64 year old retired school teacher, female, and I put this together myself with an electric screw driver, a couple of regular screwdrivers, a hammer and starter nail, along with what's included in the package. I needed help at the very end lifting the huge (very substantial) chopping block onto the top. I should have clocked my hours but I took lots of breaks and was in no hurry so I didn't keep track. I would work a little, then watch tv or read, and then go back to the project which was laid out on my living room floor. I put it together over 3 days that way. It looks wonderful in my kitchen, holds a lot of stuff, and gives me all the counter space I was lacking in my small-size condo. Some reviews said the directions weren't great but I was satisfied with them. I studied them ahead (kind of over preparing since I wasn't sure I could do this by myself) and really didn't have one single glitch. I definitely would recommend this island!

This cart is very difficult to assemble and is wobbly when completed, but looks good, and holds weight. First: What you will need: - Two people - Dedicated work space with counter - Craftsmen wood oil - Electric screwdriver - Socket wrench - Bungee cords There are 46 pieces of wood. They need to uncrated and assembled to match the parts list. They all should be wiped down with Craftsmen oil before assembly is started, except for the top surface of the butcher block top. It’s just easier. (This is why I recommended a dedicated work space.) Craftsmen uses a system they call Bastion post, barrel screw, and set screw to hold the major pieces together. If the hole in the post does not wind up exactly in the center of the barrel screw, then the connection cannot be tightened enough. If you back out the post a little bit, then there is a significant gap between the pieces. (I read another review that said they called Crafstmen with this problem, and Craftsmen sent him a new set of posts, which worked great for them.) I put together the frame of the cabinet by myself. It took 5 hours. Some of the time was spent fiddling with the durn Bastion system. Second, it is extremely difficult to match up the entire back of the cart with the entire front of the cart by yourself. Plan for help at this point. It will save you at least an hour of time and a lot of frustration. Then it took me over 5 hours to install the drawer slides and make the drawers. One of the reasons was I could not screw in the drawer slide screws on the cabinet all the way. Neither could my husband. We finally tried an electric screwdriver, which worked great. Here began major contortionist positions, trying to reach into the cabinet to turn screws. Assembling the drawers went well, except for one drawer front, which was split in the bottom right corner. We are mending this ourselves. Assembling the drawer slides and the drawers myself took me about 5 hours. Then the middle shelf placement went well. Of note, many people have written that they added more middle support to this shelf. Then you have two things left to do: put on the 70-pound butcher block top and insert the wheels. After thinking about how to do this overnight, my husband and I decided to place the butcher block top upside down on our great room carpet (this is why I recommend not oiling the top until after it is on the cart) and invert the cart on top of it. We held the middle shelf in place by wrapping several bungee cords around it and the bottom of the cart. The top is held onto the cart by L-brackets, and we thought it would be easier to see the holes in the top if we were looking down on it. The other problem in screwing in the top to the cart is that there is exactly 3½ inches of space between the L-bracket top screw hole and the side supporting bracket. The only way we could turn the screw was with a socket wrench with a Phillip’s head screwdriver attachment. All our other screwdrivers were too long to fit in this space. Also, at this point the contortioning really becomes major, and these weird and strenuous positions have to be held for a long time while screwing the screws in by hand. Our top had some separation in one corner and dings on two other corners. We decided to glue the separation ourselves. The dings really are not noticeable. The wheels inserted easily. I’m so glad my husband was there to help me turn the cart back up. The first time I tried to lift it, it didn’t move at all. I think the top weighs about 70 pounds and the rest of the cart about 30 or 40 pounds. So be careful turning it over. The good news was then the cart looked great and was able to hold a lot of heavy things I put in it and on it. The heavy top did help to stabilize the wobbliness a little bit, but it is still a bit wobbly.

The work center is exactly what I needed for my house. It matches the kitchen cabinets and fits in nicely. It was easy to assemble and excellent quality.

When it is complete is is a good looking island. I received the shipment promptly and then began the unpackaging. The island came in three boxes. In one, the casters were just thrown in the box and put black streaks on many pieces. They should have probably been in a plastic bag. Next, I noticed there was absolutely no hardware. I called and they sent the hardware but I lost that weekend for assembly. The parts came in and assembly was relatively easy, but most panels had footprints on them that I had to clean. The drawer front was so scarred from the casters I had to request a new drawer and some oil to cover the cleaning I had to do. When assembled, it was wobbly. I put a 3/4" piece of plywood in the back inside to tighten it up. It is assembled and good looking but the grain is raised in many areas. I had to put 8 coats of butcher block oil and wax and cut the grain with steel wool. It is no where near as durable as a maple butcher block. The company sent out everything they messed up with no complaints. Just be prepared to do a little customization to make sure its right. On my own, I removed the casters and built a base with a toe kick so I could anchor it to the floor and add electric. Overall, if you put the time into making it right, it is a great addition to any kitchen. I would recommend it to someone who is looking for a nice looking island and has a little 'handyman in them.

Contrary to the prior reviewer, I have to disagree about this product. The picture and details make the product appear to be very sturdy and solid---top quality. It arrived today and I'm very disappointed. First, I started at 4:00 today. It is now 9:30 and I haven't even gotten to assembling the drawers. Yes, an assistant as recommended would have reduced my time, but the design and instructions are horrible. The entire product uses a "bastian fastening system." The LEAST the designers could have done was to glue in place the cuffs to ensure they are aligned for you. The panels are made of that cheap compressed wood and you "slide" them into place on the sides. The same is true for the bottoms of the drawers. That's a cheap way to make something look rugged when it is not. I'm very tempted at this point to disassemble everything and ship it back. I would definitely think twice before you make this purchase. In my mind, a cost of around $400 would have been more appropriate given the materials, time and hassle.

I absolutely LOVE my new Island. I have a small kitchen and very little counterspace. This addition is enough to hold all of my pans and other small appliances AND gives me space for my baked goods to cool off. I can leave it stationery or move it around the kitchen to where I need it!! It brought a lot of attention from visitors over the Christmas weekend. Takes some time to assemble but is definitely worth it AND worth the price.