Customer Spotlight: How The Furniture Doctor Restored Damaged Nightstands
When Lilly Skjoldahl of The Furniture Dr took on two vintage nightstands with water damage, peeling veneer, missing legs, and a broken drawer, nearly every stage brought a new challenge.
She saved the pieces by removing the failing material, rebuilding the surfaces, and creating a two-tone finish with Real Milk Paint®. When paint began to rub away during the first wax application, we helped her troubleshoot the issue and develop a corrective approach using Ultra Bond.
The project became more than a dramatic nightstand makeover. It showed how sound preparation, compatible products, and responsive support can give neglected furniture another chance.
Meet Lilly Skjoldahl of The Furniture Dr
Lilly is a furniture flipper and DIY creator known for colorful, budget-conscious transformations. She also shows the difficult repairs and setbacks that polished before-and-after photos can hide.
These nightstands belonged to a set with a matching dresser. Replacing and color-matching the dresser’s damaged veneer had required considerable time and expense, so Lilly had postponed working on the more damaged nightstands.
Although she had used our wood bleach, tung oils, and waxes before, this was her first Real Milk Paint® project. Watch her complete process in “Milk Paint: The Secret to Saving These Trashed Nightstands?”
RMP Finishes Products Used
- Stoneware Real Milk Paint for the drawer fronts
- Navy Blue Real Milk Paint for the nightstand bodies
- Ultra Bond Adhesion Promoter for the corrective Navy Blue coat
- Clear Furniture Wax as the final topcoat
The Challenge: Water Damage, Peeling Veneer, and Missing Legs
Water damage had caused large sections of veneer to crack and separate. The finish was flaking, the tops had deep gouges, one drawer needed repair, and one nightstand had lost its legs. The matching brass pulls remained intact.
Replacing and matching all the veneer would have required more cost and labor than the small children’s nightstands justified. Painting offered a practical way to preserve them, but Lilly could not simply cover the damage. Loose veneer could later lift with the new paint, so she first needed a stable surface.
Rebuilding the Nightstands Before Painting
Some veneer peeled away in sheets, while stubborn areas required a chisel and aggressive sanding. Lilly glued and clamped separated sections, repaired the drawer, filled missing material, and repeatedly sanded the surfaces smooth. She also installed matching replacement wood legs.
Lilly used Bondo repair products in the video. For future Real Milk Paint® projects, our current recommendation is RMP Finishes Real Wood Filler. Some repair compounds may resist adhesion or become too slick when sanded. Always test repaired areas before painting the entire piece.
Real Wood Filler
Creating the Two-Tone Finish With Real Milk Paint
Lilly chose Stoneware, a light gray with warm undertones, for the drawer fronts. She mixed equal parts Real Milk Paint® powder and water, let the mixture rest, and brushed on multiple coats.
Because Real Milk Paint® comes in powder form, Lilly could prepare only the amount she expected to use. She applied a third coat of Stoneware because some of the mixed paint remained, not because every project requires three coats. Coverage depends on the color, surface, consistency, and desired appearance. We generally recommend two coats for complete, even coverage, with proper drying between applications.
Navy Blue on the bodies created contrast while complementing the brass hardware and wood legs. The paint dried to a rich matte color. Lilly also noticed a slight odor and minimal brush marks. Made with casein, lime, natural pigments, and a plant-based filler, Real Milk Paint®contains no VOCs and is virtually odor-free when used as directed.
When the Paint Began Rubbing Off
When Lilly began applying Furniture Wax, some of the Navy Blue paint rubbed off. She stopped before disturbing more of the finish and contacted us.
Shane, the second generation of the family on the team at RMP Finishes, reviewed the process with her. Possible contributors included the repair compound and foam created during mixing. Lilly suspected foam because affected areas did not all contain filler, but the video does not establish one definitive cause.
Foam may look like paint on a brush, but it lacks the body of the liquid beneath it. Our Real Milk Paint® instructions recommend letting the foam dissipate and loading the brush with liquid paint. An anti-foaming agent can help control persistent bubbles.
Anti-Foaming Agent – Smoother Mixing
How Ultra Bond Helped Get the Project Back on Track
Following Shane’s guidance, Lilly removed the wax with mineral spirits and mixed a fresh batch of Navy Blue. An electric mixer produced far less foam than shaking did.
She then added one part Ultra Bond Adhesion Promoter to four parts liquid Real Milk Paint®. This water-based, no-odor binder improves adhesion on nonporous, previously finished, and difficult surfaces. After applying the corrective coat, Lilly let it dry overnight, then lightly sanded it before waxing again.
For similar projects, plan for adhesion from the beginning. Clean thoroughly, scuff slick areas, test a small section, and add Ultra Bond to the first coat when the substrate is sealed, repaired, previously finished, or uncertain.
Ultra Bond Adhesion Promoter
Sealing and Revealing the Finished Nightstands
Lilly reapplied Clear Furniture Wax to the bodies and drawers. This time, the paint remained in place. She let the wax sit briefly and buffed it with a burnishing pad.
Furniture Wax is primarily made from natural beeswax, with a touch of carnauba wax. It adds a protective barrier and matte-to-satin sheen with minimal color shift.
Lilly reinstalled the original brass hardware, preserved its patina, and kept the replacement legs natural. Navy Blue, Stoneware, aged brass, and exposed wood created a coastal-inspired look. Real Milk Paint® is also CPSC-compliant for use on children’s products, although that compliance applies to the paint rather than every repair material or topcoat in the project.
What Furniture Flippers Can Learn From This Nightstand Makeover
Lilly observed that it is “not always easier to paint.” This transformation required veneer removal, structural repairs, repeated filling and sanding, new legs, careful painting, and a mid-project correction.
Her experience offers several useful lessons:
- Begin with a stable surface. Paint cannot secure veneer or finish that is already separating.
- Treat the finish as a system. Fillers, coatings, additives, and topcoats can affect one another.
- Manage foam before painting. Let the mixture rest, load the brush with the liquid, and use an Anti-Foaming Agent as needed.
- Use Ultra Bond on difficult substrates. Add it to the first coat over nonporous, sealed, previously finished, or uncertain surfaces.
- Test adhesion early. Let a small test area dry fully before evaluating it. This can save time, materials, and frustration.
- Ask for help when a finish behaves unexpectedly. A project setback does not always mean the furniture cannot be saved.
Thoughtful furniture flipping is not about covering damage. It means understanding the piece, choosing a realistic repair strategy, and building a finish suited to its condition and use.
Give Damaged Furniture Another Chance With RMP Finishes
The Furniture Dr saved these nightstands by removing unstable material, repairing what remained, adjusting the finish, and seeking guidance when the initial approach did not work as expected.
Planning your own transformation? Explore our Real Milk Paint® colors, learn how to paint wood furniture with milk paint, and test the complete finishing system first. For help matching products to your surface, contact our team.
