A good start to a solid surface is to find an old door, and cover it with a 1/2 to 3/4 inch piece of plywood, using grabber screws to suck them together. If you can come across an old vanity or something similar, it makes a good base, with storage. The biggest problem you will run into, (especially if you are putting it in a basement with cement floors, is locking it all down to the floor so it will handle the torque of pulling up on the handle of the re-loader. If money is tight, this is a pretty cheap solution. Hope this helps.