Bulbs & Fittings Ideas

This is a decent design and functions well enough (the MDF ironing “board” is a bit floppy and we may add a bit more padding under the cover). Given few decent alternatives it may be the best at this price point.

That said, the craftsmanship and some of the materials choices seem more like 7th grade shop class than a professionally manufactured item. Too many shortcuts, where a few cents spent on better materials and attentive assembly could have made a better product for little or no additional cost:

– The interior box is plywood with a paper thin face veneer. This means it tended to lift up one of the shelves and it is much too thin to take a clear finish or stain without a blotchy appearance. A better ply should be used.

– The oak door is reasonably nice, but ours came with a large defect on the inside panel, a small defect on the outside panel, and wood not well matched in the frame (it took extra effort in staining to get all the frame pieces the same tone). Rather than sending out lousy doors and replacing them when customers complain, the manufacturer should get them right the first time. In our case, we’ll live with the defects, since there seems to be no guarantee a new door will be any better.

– The screws are very cheap — three of the heads snapped off during installation. Better screws and hinges might add a few cents to the cost.

– The metal heat shield is crudely attached, with staples through the aluminum and into the wood. The unit would be easier to stain or paint inside if this were attached with screws or, later, with brads — I’d rather spend a minute attaching it than taking care to stain or paint around it.

– While the door and surround are actual oak, there is an oak-like trim around the sides. This is actually MDF (dense particle board) with another paper thin veneer, in oak. The main problem with these side pieces was the amateurish construction — one piece was 1/8″ too long and the whole thing was fastened with gaps and discrepancies where it fit the face frame. The interior box was stapled to this from the inside. Given the thin veneer over MDF, attempting to sand things even is likely to end in disaster. There’s really no good excuse for the sloppy assembly.

– In addition, the trim from the face panel back to the wall is incomplete at the top and bottom — presumably because most people won’t see this unless they are tall (top trim) or bend down (bottom trim). However, it will trap dust at the pocket that’s left at the top and it does show as missing from the sides if your wall isn’t perfectly flat. How much more would a few square inches of oak faced MDF cost?

One point I’d add for those with 6″ studs is that the side trim pieces can be trimmed back about 1″ to set the unit deeper in the wall (if you have 2×6 rather than 2×4 studs). At least 1″ of side panel looks necessary to hold the face frame. You can also fill in your own missing top and bottom trim pieces. This is what we did, and having the whole unit an inch deeper in the wall looks better to us.

Overall, the ironing board looks and works well enough when all is said and done. However, the manufacturer should be ashamed at the many shortcuts in quality and execution — all of which could easily be avoided.

Needed to replace our broken metal fold up ironing board and always kinda wanted an in wall unit. This one was cheap and seems decent. Fits in a 2×4 wall which wasn’t really clear when I bought it. And the door can be mounted to swing from either side.

I am the installer, not the user. My wife’s has not seen it yet to get her feedback.

I was impressed with the overall product out of the box. All the components were there and the instructions are well documented. I watch the video on line, but it really is not that hard to install. Pilot holes are a must when using the screws for the hinges and coat hook. Actually, just throw the about 3/4″ screws in the trash and get some from your garage. I had the first four of the screws heads twist off instead of going snug. So much for the material certs on those fasteners. .. they were just plain good looking junk.

The cabinet went up great when it was all is done. The bigger framing screws worked great. I finished off my install with some acrylic caulk around the edge and it looks nice.

I do recommend the product. When the ironing board is down it doesn’t seem like your going to be able push too hard on it, but I’m a big guy and my little lady will most likely not have an issue. The swivel options sure seems like a handy thing to position the board anyway you like in the space or just shove it out of the way for a moment while you do something else.

Follow on comment – Aug 13: She has been using the product for touch ups in the laundry room and says she loves it. . .If she is happy, well then, I’m happy.