I bought a piece of 1.5 inch stiff foam to try to fix a sag in a bed. It didn’t work but having that thick piece of solid foam around has been a life saver.
Need something flat to put a laptop on? Throw it on the foam. Going to be doing something that requires you to be on your knees for a while? Get the foam!
It went from stupid purchase to something I’d gladly replace if it broke.
Even a run of the mill gamerboard with no-name switches is better than pretty much any membrane board, but particularly one that’s competing on looks. You can even grab a set of of circular keycaps for $15 or less if you must have the typewriter look.