This post is about accidentally finding an antique table that’s perfect for wedding a cake. I share my approach for giving it minor updates.

A quick note that this post includes affiliate links and if you purchase items from links provided in this post, I will receive a small commission, but at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. I am presenting you with my own opinion and honest review of the information provided. If you want to read the entire disclosure statement, please click HERE. You can also read my privacy policy by clicking HERE.

We are lucky enough to have a small annual outdoor antique market within a mile of our home town. It usually lasts for 2 days and it is fun to browse through the displays of various vintage/antique items vendors have in their tents.

This year, the weather Gods decided that it was time for a good old fashioned summer down pour. It was literally pouring rain the first two days of the event. Truth be told – bad weather can’t keep me from an antique market. If it’s 110 degrees, I will show up with a hat and sunscreen. If the roads and parking lots have tire ruts a foot deep from mud, I will show up with my boots on.

Needless to say, I was ready and willing to go to this outdoor market even if it was raining buckets. The weather so was bad, that 1/3 of the vendors never set up their tents and never showed up at all. However, fortunately for us, there were some hardy souls who were willing to sell their wares regardless of the weather.

A Good Find

It was in between the sheets of rain that I spotted a cute round Eastlake Victorian table in one of the vendor’s booth’s (which was simply a tent). I loved the soft aqua color it had been painted. So, I sloshed my way across the grass and asked the vendor if it was for sale and if so, for how much. Much to my delight, she said it was $75. Sold! It’s getting more and more challenging to find true antiques that are in decent condition. This little table also had its original metal casters. Anytime I find old furniture with its original wheels, my heart always does a little flip.

It had all the typical carvings of Eastlake furniture, small spoon carvings, ornate legs, and beautiful brackets that held up the two leaves of the small round table.

About Eastlake Victorian Furniture

If you want to learn more about Eastlake furniture and how to distinguish it from other Victorian furniture, HERE is a good article. Now is also a good time to mention that truly valuable Victorian furniture is never painted. However, I happen to prefer painted furniture.

A Hidden purpose

Initially, I purchased the table because I liked it and saw that it had good re-sale potential. Until, Mr. SLH’s sister said “Hey, that would make a great table for a wedding cake”. Mr. SLH and I are planning a very small, private wedding in the fall. The phrase “micro wedding” doesn’t accurately describe our event because there will be a handful of people attending. Once my soon-to-be SIL mentioned this table would be perfect for a wedding cake, I knew she was right.

Minor Updates

Once I got the table home, I spent 2 hours cleaning it. It looked as though it had been stored in a barn or outdoor shed for many years. There were a fair number of spiders that came darting out of the table. To remove all the grime, I used a magic eraser, Simple Green mixed into a bucket of hot water and some elbow grease.

When I flipped the table upside down, my heart sunk because the existing paint job fell short of covering the underside of the table. Then I noticed – the existing color looked almost exactly like MMS milk paint in the color By The Sea.

I mixed up a small batch up paint and color tested it on a small section of a table leg. The color match was almost identical. Even I could not believe my good fortune.

At that point I decided to paint the underside of the table and added some WD-40 to the metal wheels. After the two coats of paint were dry, I gently sanded the underside of the table using 220 grit sandpaper. Then I sealed the entire table using MMS Milk Coat in a matte finish, which is similar to a polycrylic finish. Don’t worry, I removed the excess paint on the edges/lip of the wood for a clean finish.

A Table for a Wedding Cake

I have shared that I don’t think we choose vintage/antique items so much as they choose us. Many times, I have purchased something because it speaks to me and not because I have a plan for how to use it or incorporate it into my home.

There was a Victorian Sofa that I purchased because it was yelling at me to take it home and reupholster it. Initially, I left the store thinking “No Way – it’s too much work and it’s too large”. Then I returned to the store 5 hours later to buy it and take it home. Honestly, I think that sofa hijacked my brain.

I didn’t want to paint over the history of the Victorian table. I left the top untouched -complete with its chips and nicks. It was more that I wanted to give the table the grace it deserved by finishing a paint job from long ago.

Below are some photos of the table after it was cleaned, painted and sealed.

It’s always an honor to give a piece of furniture a new lease on life.

I still can’t get over how lucky I was to have a milk paint color that matched the existing paint.

Now, I do think it will make a perfect table for a wedding cake.

Summary

Thank you for stopping by the blog today. If you like these types of posts that I share with you, please subscribe to my mailing list. You will be the first to receive these types of posts via email. You can also follow me on Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest for more inspiration.

Here are a few more posts you might enjoy.

You can see how that Victorian Sofa turned out after being reupholstered.

You may also enjoy this post on 7 items I look for at vintage/antique markets.