📚 Gray RiverRidge 02-148 Bookcase Review

I give it 4 stars because it does what it says on the tin. The ad is spot on and doesn't pretend to be what it isn't. This is a children's bookshelf. It is a pressed cardboard with a thin board backing. Nothing special. It holds the books we put on it and doesn't flex or anything. As long as you put regular children's books on it, it will last a long time. If you try to put Encyclopedia Britannica on it, it will most likely fail. There was a "chemical" smell when I unpacked it, but that went…

Bought 2 years ago to put in my daughter's room for her toys. There were no problems with the chemical smell and assembly. Fast forward to the day my daughter put the little Lego box on the middle shelf and it broke! As reviewed by another buyer, the middle shelf now has a large piece with a screw protruding. All of this from a less than 3 pound cardboard box that is placed on top. There are only stuffed animals and lego on this shelf, not even heavy books! We're moving soon and we're throwing…

The item itself looks good and is solid. Easy assembly, so no complaints. The problem - ESPECIALLY for "kids bookshelf" - is the chemical smell of this product. It is harmful and very strong. After assembly, we had to take it to the garage and ventilate the children's room. A slight odor remained after 12 hours (the bookshelf is still in the garage). This is absurd for ANY product, especially children. If the case itself doesn't dissipate the smell in the next 12-24 hours, we'll send it back…

When I opened the box I noticed a very strong odor. I believe the smell is the formaldehyde used to make products like this. You can research long-term exposure to formaldehyde yourself. I left it in the garage for a week before putting it back together - it still smelled bad. Finally, I rubbed it down with a cleanser, which helped. It's easy to put together and looks good but I would never put it in my daughter's bedroom so I bought it! Now I keep it in the garage because I don't want a…

I was pleasantly surprised by the feel and quality of this shelf. While it was in my cart, the price actually dropped $8, so I jumped at buying it as an addition to my kid's playroom. Anyone who has successfully assembled Ikea furniture will not have any problems assembling it. This took 15 minutes, mainly because of the back cover, which is held on with screws instead of tiny nails like other shelves I've built before. Actually, I'm deducting a star because of the back wall. The alignment is…

Pros: As a bookshelf, it's cute and inexpensive. Cons: The edges are a bit sharp to hold in a child's room without a bumper, so be careful. Ugly: OH MY GOD I just finished putting this together and I'm rightfully reckless and concerned about my health. The smell emanating from this thing is amazing - imagine wet paint with nail polish remover on it. And it's late! The whole house smells. I keep it in the basement, now tucked away in a corner cupboard, hoping that eventually it will stop…