International Concepts Mission Magazine End Table, Unfinished

I've bought a I.C. Parawood Mission end table with lower drawer before and it came out great using Pre-Stain conditioner (this one by MinWax) FIRST before staining. It evens out the wood surface so stain not too blotchy, as can be the case with any wood. I used Early American stain by MinWax (not gel stain). I used 2 coats of stain that dried for 2 days in between coats.For this piece, I chose not to insert the lower Magazine dowel sections as I will utilize a covered wicker box for lower area to access contents. Magazine racks are good dust catchers and this piece replaces one that was early American style and those that roomy the dust caught in bottom big enclosed box. The table did not skip a beat on remaining sturdy even without the dowel sides.TABLE: came well packaged with tons of heavy plastic pliable closed foam sections and cardboard and thin poly sheeting, wrapping edges of tabletop and shelf was a nice bonus touch.8 bolt screws with narrow split locking washer and then wider flat washer went easily into pre-drilled holes that fit into corresponding piece fitted with goldish metal screw collar receptacle. A provided long handle Allen wrench is included for the assembly. All parts are in a red bag tied shut within box. Assembly took 10 minutes. Tight and straight all around.I thoroughly checked the surface for glue marks or fillers and found none. It was already well-sanded, as I passed my fingers over the surfaces, but I did a very quick sanding of maybe 5 minutes, used a wipe off with Tack Cloth to collect the dust.Used the Pre-Stain Conditioner to allow to dry in 15 minutes then with paper towel removed any standing conditioner that did not soak in, let dry 10 minutes more then applied first coat of stain with staining sponge using gloves, having table upside down starting with legs and working downwards always going with grain of wood. Dried 2 days. Applied second coat...at which point I took a photo to include.I will use Polycrylic (water based finish) in Satin as it dries clear in about 15-25 minutes, and never yellows like Polyurethane can do over time. Recoating with Polycrylic by MinWax can be done 3 coats in a few hours. Very light with fine grit Sanding between coats is up to personal choice.Finish is beautiful for such an inexpensive piece of real wood furniture, at such a reasonable price that I could not even buy the wood and bolts and washers to build it for twice the price. Made in VietNam stamped in ink is on the table surface underside. I usually sign the pieces I create in the same hidden location with the year.Some people have created hand made design of wood burning to decorate the table too or shelves. One could easily paint or stain two tones on table surface for games like checkers/chess or backgammon as this top is perfect rectangle for those. Have fun!Recommend this piece.

Bought this table for a record player that needed a permanent spot in my place. The table is unfinished solid wood and as other reviews have mentioned its very solid and sturdy.For those wondering the bottom shelf is large enough to house vinyl records with the front covers facing forward. Just based on how many vinyl albums I'm currently storing on the shelf I'd estimate that it probably can hold ~30 with enough room to remove them comfortably. It was easy to assemble, and the directions were pretty clear, only took about 15 min for me.

Our new printer/scanner/copier/toaster/coffee maker/HAL 9000 was far too large to sit where its predecessor did; therefore, we needed a printer stand. The measurements were right, and the style matched our other office furniture, so we ordered one up one of these magazine end tables, confident that we'd never roll up a single magazine to stick through its slats. It stained nicely, although getting the stain into the crevices around the dowels and slats took a bit of doing. The assembly was quick and easy, with all parts present and accounted for and aligning just right. The lower shelf easily accommodates several reams of paper. The excellent price, the solid wood construction, the option to stain it, and its easy assembly place this table among the best furniture I've ever unboxed and allen-wrenched together myself.

Using for my table top record player. My vinyls fit in the bottom shelf perfectly and can stay standing as I flip through them.

This was the perfect size, my husband was able to put it together and paint the color we wanted. Would definitely recommend and buy again if needed.

This was better then expected. Easy to work with and my finished project is beautiful.

I was pleasantly surprised how heavy and well made these tables are. I bought them for a Christmas present for my son. They were fairly easy to stain and look very nice. Make sure you sand them before staining and your get all the glue or filler sanded down because stain does not take well to those areas.

We bought two of these 17 years ago when we built our house. We remodeled the living room this year and bought new furniture. The end tables were still in great shape and we checked Amazon to see if we could find something close as we wanted to add another. We were amazed to find the exact table. All I can say is these are built to last.