right now I have an old antique ironing board I got at a yard sale for $5. But when we get our new house, my sewing room will have a new board. I'm going to use one of our old kitchen cabinets as a base, and have dh cut me a piece of thick plywood to fit on top. I'll put batting and a cover on the plywood. It will be around 5' long and 2' wide.
I've never had a store bought ironing board that was sturdy enough for me.