I had already bought 2 of these shelves but in a different color. They are from the same company. The Oak color is painted to look oak. It has a slight orange tinge to it, mainly on the shelves. The putting together the pieces is difficult. Two people need to do it. While screwing the shelves to the frames, a couple of the metal pieces became stripped. This will require calling the company to have them ship replacement parts (there is a 1-800 # for this purpose). Luckily, I had another shelf that I hadn't yet put together, so I used the pieces from that set. I have put a lot of books on the shelves and they hold the weight well. All in all I am satisfied with this product. 3 1/2 stars.