I'm very interested in this question, too. Anyone with opinions?

I recently installed the A-46 (?) Iron-A Way center...the biggest board, adjustable up/down but no swivel. It weighs A LOT, seems well constructed if maybe a bit low tech considering what they cost. On the other hand, how high-tech does a glorified ironing board and outlet need to be? (It seems like the Iron A Way and the Nutone arenearly identical in design with the exception of the light, but I;ve not seen the Nutone to know for sure.) WIth the exception of it being heavy, installation was as easy (like wiring an outlet or light fixture) and placing a few screws.
I haven't moved in yet so I haven't gotten to use it, but I think it will be very convenient and I love that it all stores away so easily. In hindsight, I wouldn't bother paying the extra $$ for height adjustability because it's only a few inches up/down, and it's futzy to operate. Just measure your current board height and rough in accordingly.

1kangela,
Have you had a chance to move in and use the ironing center?

Thanks

Chris

Yes, and let me say it's FABULOUS! I figured it would be a nice convenience when I decided to put one in, but now that I've gotten to use it, I love,love,love it. Being able to just stow the hot iron, fold up the board and close the door is so much better than having that big ironing board and iron sitting out all the time.
Some of the most well spent money in the new house.

Thanks for the quick reply. I'm just finishing up our laundy room and had to tell the electrician somthing. At this point I'm having him set a receptical in the stud bay that the center would go into, but to allow some slack in the wires to allow for the center in the future. The sink and counter will be a more immediate expense. It's sure a good feeling to see it come together.

Thanks again all on the IC feedback.

Chris

These built in iron centers are a great idea and space saving.
In my new house I am having an electrical outlet installed next to the area where I'll install a future ironing center.
This one on ebay is perfect but I will have to custom build one myself so that the board will be at least 48" long.
http://cgi.ebay.com/BUILT-IN-IRONING-BOARD-CABINET-IRON-STORAGE_W0QQitemZ4460037474QQcategoryZ20483QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
You can add a mirror to the front of the door or paint the front of the door the same color of the wall.

Here is a link that might be useful: ebay

That's a really good price for a built in ironing board .. I wonder why they can do it so cheaply but Iron-a way and Nutone can not.

I'm also interested in something like this for my laundry room (it's a smallish area), and was wondering if these have to be recessed in the wall?

I have a built in iron center and have used it once in 16 months. The board is just too small for the kinds of things I iron: table linens, fabric for curtains and upholstery, even large men's shirts.

Is it an Iron-away you got? I was wondering about the sizes (42" and 46") and whether they would be too small. Still, space is an issue for me and this sounds like a good alternative to having a huge board with no where to store it.

It's called "Hide-a-Board" manufactured in San Angelo, TX, and is 46". It has a place to plug in and adjust iron settings. The GC purchased and installed it, and I have no other information on it. The cabinetry for it was made by our cabinet makers, so that is a separate expense/decision factor.

Last night I was poking around the internet looking for something else and happened upon another ironing center of a very different design from the ones mentioned here (Iron-away, Nutone etc.).

It's from a company called Better Lifestyle Products. Anyone use or evaluate this product? It also prices out well compared to the others and it's unfolds to full size (length and width).

Here is a link that might be useful: LifeStyle Full Size Ironing Center

Re Better Lifestyle Products ... looks like it's not quite full size at 43.5" L x 15"W

But looks interesting, I'm curious too

I have a Nutone. I like it because of the great space savings. Actually dropping the board down is a bit clunky. The height is adjustable, but because of that it wasn't easy to always drop it down to the right height. Because my wife and I use the same height, I modified the hinge to always drop to the same place. Having a regular ironing board in our laundry room would be a pain because the laundry room is also the pathway to the back door.

I found out that my wife liked it because she could reach the utility sink without unplugging the iron. The first time I saw her fill the iron while it was still plugged in, I yelled so much that she still brings it up. NEVER TOUCH A WATER FAUCET WHILE HOLDING A PLUGGED-IN APPLIANCE!!!!

This opinion is shared by a lot of dead people.

Mark

Anyone ever built one of these?

Doesn't seem like it would be too difficult. Frame it with some 2x4s in the wall, and a couple of shelves, take the ironing board from a standard ironing board and incorporate it. i guess the difficult part would be raising and lowering it.

Dear prospective purchasers of the Iron-A-Way ironing board, we ordered an Iron-A-Way A-46 with all the bells and whistles (+$800.00) US and were pleased with the quality construction and ease of installation. However, now that we have moved into our new home, we have discovered that it does not store our iron as advertised. The ironing board is advertised as having a heat plate for storage of hot irons. Unfortunately, when storing even the slimmest full-size iron we can find (4.25"), our Sunbeam Steam Master, the door doesn't close. Big disappointment! We spoke to Peggy at Iron-a-Way customer service and discovered that this is a known problem and that the product is being reengineered. Unfortunately, we have a new iron-a-way that doesn't meet our needs and was very expensive; AND the company is aware that its claim that the hot iron storage "is designed to hold the majority of all major brands of irons with the exception of very late specialty irons designed for the sewing industry" is blatantly false.

After we asked twice, Peggy, Iron-A-Way Customer Service, provided a list of irons that the Iron-A-Way company claims will fit. The list includes the Sunbeam Steam Master which we have already tried and found not to fit, so we have very little confidence in the list. My husband measured and the hot iron storage allows a depth of only about a 3.5 +/-" . A web review of current iron models and dimensions indicates that most irons are about 5+/-" wide and would require a similar depth. I am very disappointed that Iron-A-Way is not more truthful in its advertising and very disappointed in my purchase. If you are considering purchasing the Iron-A-Way, you may want to review this limited list of irons that "supposedly" fit; but please be forewarned that at least one of these - the Sunbeam Steam Master - was too wide to allow the door to close - even when following Peggy's instructions as to just exactly how the iron needed to be "tilted" or placed in the iron-a-way cabinet.

New List As of 10/1/13

Brand Style Model Wattage A-46 AS-46 A-42 E-342 NE-342 No Fit

Rowenta Auto Steam DW4060 1700W X X
Rowenta Effective Comfort DW2070 1600W X X X
Rowenta Effective Comfort DW2090 1500W X X
Rowenta Steamium Iron DW9080 1800W X X **
Black & Decker Auto-Off Digital Advantage D2030 1500W X X X X X
Panasonic Multi Directional Iron w/Alumite Soleplate NI-W950A 1700W X
Shark Professional G1435N 55 1500W X X X X X
Rowenta Focus DW5080 1700W X
Sunbeam Steam Master 3118-099 X X X X X
T-Fal Ultraglide Easycord Steam Iron FV4446U0 1700W X
Maytag Speedheat & Vertical Steamer M400 1500W X X X X X
Below irons maybe hard to find as they are discontinued
Rowenta Effective DX1700 X X X X X
Rowenta Professional DX8906 X X X X X
Rowenta Auto Steam DZ1700 X X X X X

** Lift necessary for iron to fit properly.