This bench was easy to put together. The instructions were not that clear, but I have a lot of experience putting furniture like this together, so some of it was intuitive to me. My suggestion to anyone who is buying this and putting it together is to make sure that when you put the sides on the chair, make sure you use one side that has the extra holes in it and one side without the extra holes. I can see where it would be real easy to just start putting it together without realizing that the sides are indeed different. The instructions don't mention this at all. I put this together by myself, but think it would be easier to attach the table with two people.
I cannot determine how well this will hold up outside as I have only had it for a month, but the piece is solid and looks great on our deck. We purchased the one with the black finish, so you should be aware that there will be some dings and dents in the finish, which was not noticable at all once it is put together. Any spots can easily be touched up with paint if it bothers you. I believe the description of this product states there are some slight imperfections to the finish and that is why these are so inexpensive.