I bought an expensive ironing board at Costco and I hate it. The built in iron rest catches the iron wire with every pass, and it is not large enough. Last month I made my own. My husband bought a piece of wood at Home Depot, the edges and surface were smooth. I covered the front and edges with four layers of cotton batting and stapled it to the back. I had cotton fabric, so I covered the whole front and sides and stapled again to the back. It is 24" x 48", and I keep it behind my bedroom dresser when not using it.