DIY Wall Mounted Ironing Board

DIY Wall Mounted Ironing Board

Estimated Time of Project: 30min - 1hr, depending on your proficiency
Cost:  $30

Generally speaking, I try not to wear wrinkly clothes. But my previous counter top ironing board was... inconvenient.  It sat sloppily on the kitchen counter whenever I ironed (apparently, I'm not the best at returning items to where they belong).  The flat surface of the counter underneath the board does not lend itself to keeping garments wrinkle-free.

I know, I know... why not use a standard standing ironing board?  Well, those thing are huge!  And if you think leaving a counter top board on the kitchen counter is messy, imagine a large board sitting in the center of the living room or in front of a bathroom sink.

Simply, regular boards are too large and space-consuming, while counter top boards just aren't pragmatic.

I needed an ironing board that was practical and saved space.

A wall-mounted board seemed the way to go- seemed simple enough. But wow- it was not. Apparently, wall-mounted ironing boards costs in the range of $200-$300.  I don't know about you, but I think that is quite pricey for an ironing board!  Not going to do it. Nope.

Surely there is another solution?  One that is affordable and practical. Yes- and here it is:  my common-sense money saving solution was to build my own wall mounted ironing board.  The project appeared to be an easy enough- and it was!

TOOLS & SUPPLIES

Purchase

• Over the door ironing board  ($20)  || I used this one but pick whatever suits your liking
• Six (6) 3in woodscrews    
• Six (6)  1in hollow spacers  || Make sure the space is hollow enough for the screw to go through
• Two (2) 1/2in spacers
• Six (6) drywall anchors || I used heavy duty anchors with heavier capacity
• 6 plastic washers (optional) || Goes between the 1in spacer and the wall

Tools

• drill  
• 1/4inch drillbit 
• Phillips screwdriver  or Phillips drill bit
• level
• hammer or sander (optional)
• Stud finder (optional)
• hot glue gun (maybe)

Modifications to the Project

This project would probably work just as well if 1/2 inch spacers are used.  In that case, two (2) 1/2 in would screws would work.  Feel free to adjust my design to fit your needs.

LET'S GET STARTED

Measure

The first thing I did was mark where where the holes are going to be drilled.  To do this, I stood the ironing board strait up and used a level to make sure my holes were perpendicular on the frame.

I used 6 holes because I like to overdo things.  4 would probably work just as well.

Hint: The bottom holes should be beneath the board's fulcrum, 
unless there is another support against the wall beneath the fulcrum.  This is my case. 
Hint: The fulcrum is the point of rotation between the board and the frame

Drill

Your drill is about to be very handy. Find a safe place to work with your power tools.  I chose my garage- you may want to use a closet or child's playroom. (I really wish there was a sarcasm font).  No, really, find a safe place that doesn't endanger children or pets.

Use a 1/4 inch drill bit to put holes through the places you marked on the ironing board's frame.

Optionally, it is a good idea to smooth the punctured surfaces after all 6 holes are made.  I used a hammer to tap the metal flat.

Hint: drill from the side that will be seen, so that the surface is smooth.
I didn't do this :/ 

LOCATION, PLACEMENT & LEVEL

Location  (probably better to decide this even earlier)

Figure out where you're going to put your ironing board.  I put mine in my laundry room, across from my dryer.  I could have put it where it opened above the dryer, but where would I put all my tools when I don't put them back where they belong???  

Placement & Level

Determine how high you want your board.  This may be determined by the type of board you choose. Since I'm adapting a door hanging ironing board, I figured it would function best if I place the top just a couple inches lower than the door.

Oops!  My board is facing the wrong way!

After that, make sure the side of your board is level.

Measure this a couple of times

MARK YOUR DRILL SPOTS 

Hold your board up and mark all the spots your screws will go.   I used a nail to mark the wall through the holes

Mark the holes where you can see them.  I used a pencil to darken my marks

OK- this is hard to see. And so were the marks! I darkened them with a marker.

Use a stud finder to see if your marks overlap any studs. Insert the drywall anchors in the spots where there are not any studs behind the sheetrock (this may take a couple steps on its own).

I circled the drywall screws and marked guide points

TIME TO WALL MOUNT 

Line up your board with your pre-marked locations.  You will have to stack some of your supplies to mount your ironing board frame against the wall. Depending on the situation, the order should be: 

• Wall with anchor < 1inch spacer < ironing board < 3inch wood screw
• Wall with stud < washer < 1inch spacer < ironing board < 3inch wood screw

Be certain to hand tighten screws into the wall.  You can use your Phillips screwdriver to lightly tighten the screws and secure the board's frame to the wall.

Again, make sure your board fram is level!  Both on the side and parallel to the wall.

Tighten all the screws down. I recommend doing it as you would put on a spare tire, rotating opposing screws and making sure they are being tightened down evenly.  The board's frame should be level when you are finished tightening the screws.

ONE LAST DETAIL

As I wrote earlier, the holes should be drilled into the ironing board frame beneath the board's fulcrum unless it had wall support underneath the fulcrum.  This was my case.

Since I used 1inch spacers, I used my hotglue gun to attach 1/2inch spacers to the frame's heel.

After the glue dried, I twisted the heel to set flush against the wall. ALL DONE

FINISHED

Because of the design of this product I recommend avoid putting heavy weight on the end of the board.

COME AGAIN

Thank you coming by DIY with Joe.

I hope that you can gain something from my experience, and maybe even improve on it.

Remember, I am not an expert, just some Joe that likes to undertake some DIY projects when I can. Until next time, please, Like, Share, and Follow.