We bought this a couple of years ago and it's our kids' (1 and 3) favourite toy. The red and blue water buckets are particularly nice, since kids love playing in the water. Coating it prior to use was a pain (time and smell, took weeks to de-gas), so commit to it only if you are willing to go through the process. After two years it is starting to show signs of wear, to a normal extent expected of a wooden structure.

I have no regrets about buying this sandbox. It does take a little time to put together, but the instructions are good and the quality of the materials is top notch. Our son loves the built in buckets and the covered cubby holes on the side - there are a lot of dinosaurs, trucks, and shovels stored away in there! I think we used 18 bags of sand to fill it. There's enough room for me to join him at the sandbox to play.

One tip - if we had to do it over again, we probably would have put down a weed barrier where we set the sandbox. The liner it comes with is plastic with holes in it for drainage but the grass is still growing up through crevices. No big deal - I just pull it out as it comes up, but hindsight is 20/20 --- put down that landscaping fabric to keep out the grass and weeds first.

It is cedar (it is light you can move it around easily before filling with sand) and you can smell the wood the second it comes out of the box. Everything was easy to assemble except putting the snaps on the "walls"

-The instructions say where to place the snaps but measuring it out in advance is a waste of time. It's better to place the two outside snaps. Then try to hang the panel see if it matches up before putting in the screws and work your way in. Use the actual placement of snaps to put in the matching other half of the snap. But it was not onerous and the panels are cut the right length. So it looks nice.

-One of the panels you screw in two screws which does prevent it from flying away but you can't batten down the hatches if there is high wind. It's ok so far but high winds have yanked off a panel 2x now even though we roll them up before a storm. There have not been any very severe storms since we put up the sandbox.

-I have bought Gorilla weatherproof clear stain for the wood to apply 90 days out. But the company said Thompson's is also great.

-I have Starbrite waterproofing for the fabric and I should have applied it right away because the light fabric stains quickly . I think some of the stain from the wood stained a bit during a storm. But all of the panels can be removed for washing even the one that is screwed in. I wasn't sure if there was a urethane backing but it is just polyester canvas fabric. The Starbrite waterproofing product says it's not appropriate if there is any urethane backing. There isn't.

-Finally after much much research I bought 300 lbs of Sandtastik. There is a 100 lb limit on amazon. I got the rest from Sandtastik they had a promotional offer. Anyways this is plenty.

What I am not happy about is the lack of a cover. Like I said with wind you need to roll up the sides or they get thrashed around. I have spent additional to buy a tarp, velcro, nylon thread, heavy duty sewing needles and a grommet kit. It might be possible to use plywood but once assembled it is an unwieldy shape. So I also got gorilla waterproof patch and seal tape, so that maybe the plywood can bend in the middle. But then you might want to leave a pail in the middle of the sandbox so it doesn't cave in the middle with the weight of rainwater.

We are still working out the cover. Meantime we have an old (flexible) tarp and some stones to cover the sand at night.

Other things we learned....don't overly wet all the sand at once if you plan to cover it - read about how to avoid mold. Cinnamon does seem to be keeping bugs out.

My baby loves the new sandbox. It is pretty spacious compared with all the other options. It is super cute and provides protection from the sun. I love how each panel can be rolled up. And I especially like that it has a roof. The one in front is a large mesh panel. There is a mesh window on each side and the back is just a panel but it can be rolled up.

We have it on our stone patio. There is a thick plastic liner with large irrigation holes. You use plastic screws to secure it.

This sandbox is nice, it is covered with a canopy, real wood however cheap thin wood, but has some sturdiness. It took my husband all day to put it together. I don't like the instructions are only pictures and confusing. The real crazy part that no one talks about is you have to drill holes/nail to keep the top and sides down. The sandbox does come with some holes and snaps but not for everything and i dont understand why. Since the wood is thin it makes it difficult or you crack the wood. Still it is beautiful sandbox and I would purchase it again. I just got it yesterday and don't know how it will stand up to the Arizona sun. I took the advise of others reviewers and will use a water sealer on the wood and sun/ fabric/UV protection on the fabric. I got 500 pounds of sand to fill the box from home depot. It was $ 7 per 50 pounds which is way cheaper than Amazon! I will also put cinnamon in the sand to keep away bugs and ants. It does come with a bottom liner but no cover so you may want to keep a trap over the sand it it rains as the canopy will not keep the rain out only shade from the sun. Hope this help new buyers!

I got this for my granddaughters. They are just too big (3 and 5) to both fit comfortably in the plastic one I bought a couple years ago.. It took my adult son about 2 hours to put this together for his nieces. He said that the instructions were a little off and the illustrations are not always a perfect match for what's actually in the box, but because the design is simple, he was able to figure everything out. When I got home and saw this sweet little sandbox in the backyard, I fell in love with it. It is very sturdy and just adorable. There is no bottom but it does come with a plastic liner and a lightweight fabric cover to tie over the sand to keep critters from using it as a litter box. I had to go to Home Depot anyway for the sand (about 6-8 bags depending on how full you want it), so I picked up some thicker plastic to reinforce the bottom. I think this is a great purchase.