Living in a Micro World

Yup, things are getting tight. Lots of people, lots of stuff, and not enough space to hold everything. This encroachment on our space is apparent in the growing number of “small footprint,” “zero-lot” houses that are being built. This reduction in square footage is epitomized in Richard Horden’s micro compact home (m-ch). Now that’s cozy.

If you happen to own or live in such cramp quarters, then you’ll appreciate methods for maximizing your usable space. One such utilization is the “zero-space” ironing board. Most of these ironing board are housed in smooth-finished cabinets that are fastened between a home’s wall studs. Unfortunately, this installation method doesn’t work for homes that are already built and finished. In this case, the wall-mounted ironing board by Hide-Away is a usable option.


Pressed for Space

$189.88
2 Hours
Easy

PARTS

(1) Hide-Away surface mount ironing board (Lowe’s #251693; $189.88)

Tools

• drill

Optional

• Wall stud locator

1. FIND A STUD

Although the surface-mounted ironing board can be mounted flush on a wall, you will need to find a wall stud for hanging the Hide-Away cabinet. Accurately finding wall studs is the bane of the home DIYer. One of the easiest methods for finding a wall stud is to look for “signs” of a wall stud. Electrical outlet plates (i.e., the electrical junction box is usually nailed into an adjacent wall stud), nails in baseboard trim, and wall openings (e.g., corners, doors, windows, etc.) are all earmarks of likely stud locations. When you think that you’ve located a possible wall stud, use your knuckle to knock on the wall’s drywall and listen for changes in sound: hollow sounds are generally open wall areas, while denser sounds might indicate a wall stud. If all else fails, confirm your wall stud location suspicion with a commercial wall stud locator.

2. DO THE DRILL

In order to ensure that the cabinet’s door hangs plumb, temporarily install the door hinges prior to hanging the ironing board unit. It’s far easier to attach these hinges while the unit is laying flat on the floor rather than hanging on the wall. When you are satisfied with the door’s fit, remove the hinges. Finally, drill two 1/4-inch holes (e.g., cabinet top and cabinet bottom) which will serve as attachment points to the wall stud.

3. HANG ‘EM HIGH

Determine how high you want your ironing board. A comfortable height for the surface-mounted cabinet is 27-inches off the floor (i.e., as measured from the cabinet’s bottom side). Now align the pre-drilled holes with the wall stud and attach two of the supplied 3-inch lag screws. Finally, reattach the door, using the previously installed hinges.


You are now living in a wrinkle-free world.