Hi there,
Since I've got a dwarf army myself I'd like to help you out on your basing issue.
First of all, make sure it'll match your gaming table a little bit, that way it'll seem nicer when playing. But that's of course just my opinion.
What I do for my dwarfs is quite simple, I just put some sand and gravel on their bases and paint them, that's it. Here's a link to my WIP so you can see some pictures:
http://www.one-ring.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=19749&start=180
I use both GW's and Revell's paint, here's what I use
Here's how I paint them:
-Chaos black (basecoat) (GW)
-Matt78 (Revell) (the GW paint closest to this one might be Fenris Grey, it's somewhere in between grey and blue)
-Fortress grey (drybrush) (GW)
For results check my WIP (like page 11)
Some other things I tried, and which work very well for dwarfs IMO are things as:
-weapons/shields
-floortiles (made out of cardboard and glued on base)
-papers/books (made out of a piece of paper)
I could upload some pictures for you if you'd like, just tell me.
Hope this helps!
Jorn.