The first warm day of spring and I took advantage of the weather to put a coat of poly on this elegant side table. Originally, the table was a nice size and shape when I found it at Goodwill for only $2. The top had a thin verneer that was damaged. After sanding, the top was still not perfectly smooth, but at that point, I had sanded right through the verneer and was hitting particle board. I think there had been water damage.
A light grey coat of Cottage Paint (Chalk Paint) did a great job of filling in the particles and the cracks. Once I added a stencil across the top, the damage was undetectable. I sprayed the brass handle with Krylon's Looking Glass spray to give it the silvery color that matches the grey of the table.

 I usually line all the drawers with old maps. This one is a map of Paris!









Below is the stencil process. I started in the middle and worked my way to the edges.