Thanks for the suggestion. Yes it's just plastic underneath, thin and fragile plastic so I would need to be careful. Diamond plate metal is something that has crossed my mindI would get a rubber mat and some diamond plate steel. If it were mine I'd glue the rubber mat down first let it dry and then use self tapping screws or epoxy to hold the plate down. It shouldn't be a problem as that is all empty space underneath that area if I remember correctly.