Every single piece of this planter comes coated with that peel-off thin plastic film. It was a real hassle to get off. Possibly I could've just left it on, but you know how it is--once you start peeling, it's hard to stop. Besides, I wanted to paint them black to match my black house, so that plastic film had to go. MASSES of it went into the film recycling.
Assembly wasn't terribly complicated, but I bought three of them at once, and it certainly paid to have a power screwdriver, the right size hex wrench to hold the nut, and a table or raised surface big enough to lay the pieces out on. They do come with little rubber feet to protect a painted surface. I'm VERY happy with the outcome, but getting there was a bit of a challenge.