I'm in planning stages of replacing the plywood in my bed. Has anyone tried the kit from Mar-K or LMC. Mar-K is about $150 more than LMC.
Also has anyone tried automotive clearcoat to protect the wood.

 

Wood has to breath. Those clear shiny finishes look good at first but may eventually peel off. I recommend an oil based finish. Wood is pretty common variety like pine or spruce and quite easy to cut and groove your own on a table saw.

 

I wasn't looking for fancy, just durable and used a good coating of plain 'ol Thompson's water seal. Pretty old school look to it.

 

The original bed wood was painted body color.

Carpenter sells the short bed wood in pine & oak.