Mine is base cabinets with a countertop, just like in a kitchen. I discovered my glass topped dining room table is much easier to cut on and much easier to hold the ruler and it doesn't slip as easy as when I use the above countertop. I'm 5'7" and it does hurt my back a bit, after about 6 hours, back stops when I stop cutting. I'm going to use the table from now on when cutting pieces for any quilt.