by jonw » Wed May 14, 2014 11:05 am
My sides are 5/8in. Meranti Mahogany marine plywood. I just put on several coats of satin finish Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane . I liked the grain and color as it was so I didn't stain it, but you could easily do so if you wanted a different color or shade, before applying the spar varnish.
If I were you I might just consider applying a thin veneer and finish that instead of attaching a whole other sheet of something. You could even get creative using different woods for a design, as some have done.