The bed i chose is a little different. I'll tell you how i did it and how you make it black as was from the factory. I bought the yellow pine wood from Mar-K and it was pre-drilled and cut. I lightly sanded the wood with 300 grit, then 600. Next, i used Minwax ebony stain. Now this is where you have the choice as to how dark you want to go. You can keep adding stain until its black like factory beds were. I added stain and used a rag to remove stain as i saw fit. Wipe the stain off to your likeing as you go. Once it dries, you'll have to sand if its darker than you like and start over.
I then put on 3 coats of Minwax Helmsman spar urethane. I sanded lightly between the first two coats using 600 grit paper. Make sure its dry before you sand, otherwise the clear will roll up on you. Also, make sure there is no dust of grit between coats. Do a good wipe down. On the last coat, try to paint in a dust free enviroment. Every speck will show.
Now, if you had decided to stain it completely black, use a flat or semi gloss for you final three coats to replicate the factory finish. I used the gloss. I hope this helps you with your project. Here is a picture of the bed. I have other pictures of my truck, but it indeed is a truck load. Cecil.........
Bed is here:
http://community.webshots.com/photo/538693657/538707607mjsqLF Truck load:
