craftgrrl | Gold Leaf, gilding (Reply)

I wanted to know others' experience with gold leaf or gilding as I am a complete novice. I have the tops of my dresser and two bedside tables I want to gold leaf. They seem to be made out of some sort of laminate which reminds me of flooring. I also want to gild the edges of a large mirror.

I live in an apartment and it's winter here so I can't move the pieces outside. I need something that has as little smells/fumes as possible. Also the less messy the better, but I have a feeling that's a little idealistic. I've been looking at quite a few products and wondered if any of you had recommendations.

I don't need to go with actual gold leaf if there are better alternative but that is the look I am seeking. It seems the options are real gold leaf, fake gold leaf, liquid gold leaf paint, and fake gold paint. I'm not sure which would be best. Also, when googling this one of the websites said a trade secret for the sealant is creating a lacquer out of an egg white and 5 oz of water. Would this work? Would it smell or rot?

Thank you for your time, any advice would be most appreciated. :)

PS. Bonus points for any creative suggestions on making my own drawer pulls.