Wooden You Know It

I don't go to garage sales for every often, but a couple of weeks ago I came up on one in a church's parking lot while on my way to work.  So, I stopped.  And this ugly little shelf was all I got.  It was really crude.  Looks like maybe it was homemade, but it was only $1.00 and I thought it would be an easy little project.  Slap on a little paint and be done.  "Wooden" you know it?  I was wrong!

First of all I was going to simply wipe it down but soon realized there was so much nicotine on it that I was going to have to sand it.  So sand I did!  Then I got one coat of paint on it and didn't like the color so I had to repaint.  The shape and size also made it awkward to work with.  Lastly, I over waxed and had to once again sand, sand, sand!

Whew, finally finished!  Better. "Wooden" you agree?

Mr. Picker helping me stage it: