International Concepts Set of Two San Remo Splatback Chairs, Espresso

There were 2 chairs in the box (Cinnemon/Espresso; quantity is not clear in the listing). The box it came in was well-packed and there were no issues with the delivery. All pieces were included in the box and all hardware was exactly what was needed. There is a hex wrench included for the bolts and you just need a Phillips screwdriver for the remaining wood screws. Assembly was easy. 1st chair was done in 45 minutes (I'm very careful with assembly. I read the directions once, verify the hardware quantities and fit the pieces together so I know how they assemble before anything gets screwed. lol). 2nd chair: 20 minutes. After assembly, the chairs were perfectly balanced -- no wobble at all. As far as the finish goes, all pieces were well-finished and no blemishes could be found. The only thing I can nit-pick on is the seat assembly. You have to center it just right to screw it to the body of the chair (meaning: you need someone to hold it while you screw-in the first 2 of 4 wood screws). Overall, very happy with the chairs! Will look to buy another set as soon as they are available. IKEA, you have some stiff competition. :)

I have bought four bar stools, a dining table, and four dining chairs made by International Concepts. I couldn't be happier with the finished product. They are very sturdy, and they look great. The only disappointment came when I was ready to put these chairs together. I received them exactly in the time that they were promised but I got tied up with life events and didn't open them for about six weeks. When I opened one box the package of machine screws, washers, and other screws that came with everything else wasn’t there. I thought, "no big deal, I’ll just pick them up at Lowe's." With a little help from a Lowe’s employee I had all the hardware I needed. I had no clue that machine screws were so expensive! The hardware to assemble two chairs cost a total of $30.00! In any case, I assembled the chairs, and like the bar stools and table, they got five coats of Waterlox and they are beautiful. Would I buy from International Concepts again? ABSOLUTELY! Stuff like missing getting the hardware package in a box happens. That was on me for waiting until I needed the chairs to open them. I’m sure they would have sent me a package of hardware if I had said something, but I didn’t have time to wait. The in-laws are coming!

An excellent product. Without sanding, they easily took Minwax, oil-based Jacobean stain. Since I didn't sand, there were the expected glue spots which, to my mind, just added further character to the wood. The chairs finished quite nicely with Varathane water-based lacquer. You can Varathane inside the house since this product is very low-odor. The stain needs ventilation.When we opened one package of chairs (we ordered four pairs), we realized that we were given two right stretchers (vs a left and a right) for one of the chairs, but between amazon and International Concepts (Whitewood Industries), we were well taken care of. Customer service was excellent from both parties. The instructions were very easy to follow, and once one chair was built, the others went together very fast. For the first "practice run" chair just sort out all your parts and develop a system for assembly. Lay out a large blanket, or the cardboard that the chairs come in, and go to it. I recommend buying the proper hex driver bit rather than using the allen key, though, since these keys are simply a pain. While you are at the hardware store, grab a ratcheting screwdriver too, and make life easier!I learned that these are parawood which is supposedly sustainable because the trees are farmed. As they grow, they are milked for a resin that becomes latex. When the trees stop producing the latex, they are made into furniture like these chairs. I feel happy to spend money on a sustainable product--hopefully what I was told is true.

The assembly of this chair is relatively easy. For some, the instructions may not be very clear. I had no trouble and I liked the fact that I could apply a urethane finish before assembly. This was my second order of this chair and I did not notice that they are now sold in pairs. I also tried a light stain on this set of chairs. The wood is stainable but the grain is not very interesting. It is similar to poplar in both grain and hardness. Like any wood product that has been manufactured, it is necessary to lightly sand before applying pre-stain treatment and further finishing. Chairs are very stable and solid. This is a moderate quality chair that is worth its price. The fact that it needs assembly and finishing should be considered. If assembly and finishing are not acceptable conditions, don't buy.

I love my chairs, I’ve had them for about 6 months now. The table was a hand me down & we are planning on building a larger table in a while, but the husband & I had no desire to tackle chairs. He was wary of the quality when I finally picked this brand of unfinished chairs, but when we got them he was impressed with how solid & well made they were. We bought 8. They were packaged very well. I think the only thing missing was a single washer out of all 8 chairs. They stained well, I used general finishes java gel stain (2 coats) and the general finishes wipe on poly (2 coats), light sanding between. It was a big job finishing all of the chairs myself, had to work out a method & wrote down a checklist to keep track of where I was, as I was doing multiple chairs in different stages at a time. Still worth it, I couldn’t find 8 solid wood dining chairs in a color I want for anywhere near this price. The chairs are fairly heavy to move around, and my husband said recently that they aren’t comfortable to him to sit in for long periods of time, so he may want cushions at some point. Otherwise, very happy. We are new into woodworking & plan to make furnishings, but if there’s anything else we don’t want to make ourselves, I will absolutely see if international concepts make an unfinished version.