P'kolino Chalk Table and Benches

I started to get cold feet about ordering this table because of some of the negative reviews about its quality, but for the price, my husband and I agreed to chance it. So far, so good! I have a heavier toddler and a lightweight, and thus far the benches are holding up. The table, too, seems sturdy enough for daily activities, such as crafts and snacks. I like how wide the benches are; my kids aren't having to teeter on a little stool. I love the rounded corners of the tabletop; sharp corners are never good for the under 3 set. I like how modern it looks (which blends into our home's decor), and the black and white contrast is particularly appealing to me (though my 2 1/2 yr old prefers the white side of the tabletop). In fact, I don't even care about the "chalkboard" aspect of the table - who needs the mess? I just like the look, as I said, so I can't speak to how well chalk works on that surface. And so far, I've been able to clean it fairly easily, and gently used a Magic Eraser to remove a couple of tougher stains. The only two cons are function-based (1) my kids seem to struggle with pulling off the top and replacing it to work (though, as I mentioned, they are both under 3 yrs old) and (2) I wish that the storage space were just a tad deeper to better fit boxes for supplies, such as markers, etc. Overall, we really like it and feel that, for the range of time that the kids will be using it, it should work well.

I was excited to get this cute set of table/benches. It looks great and is fairly easy to put together. But I was disappointed to find that the chalkboard doesn't work -- I've tried a few different types of chalk (sidewalk chalk, Melissa and Doug dustless chalk) but nothing seems to write. It just scratches the board instead, and doesn't leave a mark. I spoke w/ the P'kolino customer service who confirmed that you are not supposed to use sidewalk chalk, but they didn't know why the other chalk didn't work. They are sending me a replacement (although it's been 2 weeks now, and still no replacement!), so we'll see if I just got a dud or whether this is a larger problem. Meanwhile, my 1.5 year old is happily drawing with crayons -- they mark up the table (not so pristine white anymore) but that's to be expected and I think adds to the charm of a kids table...****** UPDATE ******I spoke w/ the folks at P'kolino and they sent me a replacement chalkboard that now works. (They said the initial one I received was a manufacturing defect). The white coloring is little off from the rest of the table (off-white, instead of white) but it's not a big deal since my little guy is drawing all over the table anyway with the crayons. I upgraded the review to 4 stars.

I received the desk and benches today from UPS. Very quick delivery (thanks UPS!) and promptly opened the package and began assembly. I consider myself pretty handy with an allen key. Most of the bedroom furniture in my house is from Ikea (4 pieces in master + 2-3 pieces each in my son and daughter's rooms). So, the assembly took about 15 minutes.Before assembling the table, however, I noticed two stress fractures in the bottom of two side plates where the connect at a corner. The screws for the table legs fit into metal screw "receptors" inserted into the side plates at the factory in China. Because of this, I figured that completing the assembly wouldn't place any additional stress on the two side plates. At this point (2 hours after assembly), the fractures are the same length and width (about 1-2 inches long each and wide enough to fit the end of a butter knife).I'll try to contact the manufacturer to see what they recommend. Based on their response, I'll update this review.

I first ordered the set for my girls for Christmas while putting it together I noticed that the benches were broken from where the screw goes in to the underneath the bend. I contacted Amazon the next day and was promptly issued another set.The second set arrived in new condition as well, a couple months of use the benches are broken once again in the same place this time both benches. I don't think it is important but I have two Girls one is 5 and the other is 3, they both weigh around 34 pounds. The benches got minimal use as they prefer other chairs they may have sat on these chairs a total of 30 times before the broke.I do not recommend this product the benches will break with limited use the legs are not thick enough to last because of the way they are attached.Fun: 3 Stars they did have lots of fun with the chalk board and the storage inside for coloring books and crayons (but the benches broke in less then a couple months this is the second time)Educational Value: 3 Stars because there was not an N/A category.Durable: 0 Stars, the table seems to be durable but the benches are worthless.Overall: 0 Stars, because I could not give rate with negative starts clearly deserves five of them, not to mention the life of the set will break in a couple months for limited use. The set is nice if only it would hold up to girls weighing under 40 pounds.The manufacturer claims this will work for children up to six years of age which is not the case. The manufacturer should take a long look at the design for these benches and improve them. I will no longer be purchasing any type of P'Kolino products, and that's too bad as they have some nice things but are all their products this poorly built?Walt