I put a piece of ironing board fabric over the wood to reflect any heat and moisture away from the board, then covered that with a thin layer of batting. Over that I used muslin, but have since found I should have canvas on the outside for a firm surface. I also secured my big board to the reg. ironing board with a strap of velcro underneath. My DH came up w/ that idea too, thinking it would be tippy if you leaned on it or if the iron was placed too close to the edge. It works great.