Folks, if you've recently upgraded or renewed your annual club membership but it's still not active, please reach out to the BOD or a moderator. The PayPal system has a slight bug which it doesn't allow it to activate the account on it's own.
Laminate (formica) over plywood? Lots of choices to match the room. It can look good if done right, but it will definately look very bad otherwise.
FYI, I built my previous stand with oak plywood, dyed (not stained) black and sealed with satin poly. The dye was difficult to work with.