Nowadays, wooden furniture isn't what it used to be. Solid wood is now considered somewhat of a luxury item, and the market is now flooded with laminated wood, or wood-pattered paper over chipboard furniture, to give it that "wood look." Some of it is better than others, but for the most part, it isn't as sturdy as solid wood, nor is it as pretty.
A few years ago, I ordered a very large desk and hutch combination from a nationwide chain of stores that sells office furniture. It looked good on the internet and in person, so I bought it. Little did I know, and the salesman neglected to mention, that for 00 I'd get a bunch of heavy boxes of mostly laminated chipboard, with two solid wood parts, the desk top and the hutch top. The rest was all "wood look." Never having dealt with this before, I was more concerned about putting a very large desk together than in the materials. I had to hire a friend to do it, because the store wanted an additional 0 if I wanted them to come put it together for me.
Desk Shelf Unit
For three days, my friend Kevin glued, drilled and pounded nails to make my desk. In the end, the unit looked great and I was very happy. As time went on, though, it was evident that any nick or bump could mar the chipboard laminate sides and shelves. Moving was a nightmare, because everything got dinged up by the movers, just in everyday handling. Where do you go out and buy matching strips of "wood look" paper to cover damaged areas, without it looking cheap and tacky? I'm not good with this sort of thing, so the whole desk is now in storage until I figure it all out. In the meantime, I went and bought a solid mahogany desk for more money, which was worth every penny I paid. The lesson to me is, to buy real wood in the first place, or go without. This way, hard-earned money isn't wasted on something that is less durable and hard to fix.
A friend gave me a bookshelf unit when I moved to Florida, she no longer wanted it since she was moving up north. It looked new, but then I soon realized that it too, had issues of it's own. It was formica over particleboard, and couldn't handle the weight of my books. It began to bow in the middle, so I gave it to someone else. Again, I bought a large hardwood bookcase and it can hold all my books and then some.
To sum it all up, it is best to save up and buy real wood whenever possible. This way, maybe the whole chipboard laminate or "wood look" paper-covered phase of furniture making will fall by the wayside due to lack of public interest. Look at the lovely Victorian furniture, and hand-carved furniture of other countries. I usually buy American products but not if they aren't made well enough. My current desk was imported from India, and is solid mahogany with dovetailed joints and hand-carved accents. It is well-made and strong. With shipping, I paid 00 for it, and it was worth every penny. Choose quality items and they will last a long time. Don't fall for the lure of furniture that isn't well-made but looks attractive. Shop around and compare to be on the safe side. You will be glad that you did.