Room & Board — Local services in Portland

What a disappointment. We had five pieces of “solid walnut” delivered and once here, it became apparent of the misrepresentation at the store. Sold as "solid walnut" what is not disclosed is that many of the components are NOT solid walnut. Interior dividers and shelves are of a very chippable, thin veneer-faced composite wood. "We found it much stronger and does not warp like real wood" the rep told me in a phone conversation. Interesting as the units have plenty of solid walnut in the doors and side panels. Will those warp, too? Or perhaps as I suspect, this is all a sales pitch to justify the cheaper components that do not face the customer.

However, the real issue is the poor finish quality which uncovered the veneer/composite misrepresentation above. The finish on ALL delivered Room & Board pieces was extremely dry, rough, and in some cases almost chalky, a result of under finishing. Having done a lot of furniture refinishing in my spare time, what I recognize is that the R&B pieces all need to be oiled and waxed properly... teak oil, Danish oil, beewwax, etc. This will not only bring out the gloss but also provide the protective surface that the factory finish will not.

To be clear, the first blush of R&B at the showroom looks great. That’s why we spent a small fortune there. But how about full disclosure?! How can you market “solid walnut” and not disclose that this only pertains to the most visible components? And please, save the sales pitches justifying the composite pieces as stronger. That’s solved by aging and drying the walnut longer.

I’m now spending a full day refinishing the rest of the R&B pieces, inside and out with Howards Feed N Wax (my preferred choice for this application.)

Thanks R&B. Next time finish the...

Great people to work with. Always accommodating, patient, helpful and knowledgeable about their products with a good sense for color and design. Genuinely invested in their customers, Promptly returned communications. Superb website, easy to use and efficient. Vast ability to customize.

This was our first exposure to R & B. We arrived in Portland from a cross-country move with something to sit & sleep on. We shopped numerous furniture stores in and around Portland. After numerous months we settled on R & B. We ended up purchasing a bedroom set, dining table, sofa, chairs, lighting & stools) here and could not have been more pleased. While we worked on our furniture needs & colors we were in & out of R & B so much it began to feel like home. 100% of the time the staff was welcoming, friendly, low key & never annoying or pesky. They let you look, play & investigate to your hearts content, but someone was always readily available if you had a question. We interfaced with Michael and Scott the most. R&B has just about everything (accessories) “in store” to complete “your look”. This was the bet & most pleasant shopping experience we have had in years. Thank you everyone, especially Michael and Scott who handled most of our requests, orders, tracked them & kept us informed & updated. R&B’s delivery personnel were well above average. They were exceedingly careful, accommodating, pleasant & efficient. Kudos to a well run, well organized shopping experience by a “team business in the U.S. who understands customers needs and wants,...

I want to give more stars as I've used their "custom table base" service for numerous years. That said I hadn't ordered anything in a couple years until recently. When I eventually received my custom Parsons table base it was BAD. The dimensions were off by 3/16-5/16" depending on where you measured. This made the custom, $2k, handmade, kilnformed glass table top NOT FIT. I now have to remake the top for the base and the entire project is a loss, financially. On top of not being the right dimensions there are (8) 1/4" holes drilled in the top surface of the metal bars that the top rests on. This was not mentioned/pictured in their catalog or on the website.

What would I do if my tabletop was clear/transparent?!!!!!!! (they sell these right on the same page as the bases).

Customer service refunded my money but didn't seem to care that they just made my year a lot harder as a micro business already operating in COVID times. This was easy. Follow the ruler. MEASURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Big company...