Yes! Definitely not necessary, but a good clear coat will look great, provide significant extra physical protection against scrapes and scuffs, will make the cab much more resistant to taking on stains, give it a much smoother surface feel and most importantly it will LOOK GREAT!

I used a water based flooring product to clear an older Gottlieb Bonanza that I fully stripped and restored. Sprayed 2 coats on and the result was absolutely perfect. This pin went on to win 1st Place for Best Restoration @ TPF and was cleared using a water based poly-crylic designed for flooring application. It’s tough as nails, sprays on easily and is relatively low cost:

Benjamin Moore “Stays Clear”
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It’s available in full gloss as well as satin and therefore any desired gloss level can be mixed and applied.

tscottn - I personally haven't sprayed rattle can clear over such a large surface area. Too hard to get even coverage, and the rattle can stuff dries too fast. Plus at $8 bucks a can or so, you'll spend well north of $50 to do the whole job in just one thin coat.

Again, if the alternative is rattle can, I'd still recommend using the water based flooring product. The Benwood product is also available in quart size and I think would roll on nicely using a very low nap foam cabinet roller. You'd wind up with a MUCH better clear coat, at a lower cost than rattle can. Keep a sharp eye out on your roller tracks, and stop rolling well before it begins to tack up which will take less than about 2 minutes. Buy a quart of high gloss and a quart of flat - then mix the sheen level you want. 50/50 is what I used on my Kings and Queens and it looks amazing. Go get a quart of gloss and experiment on a piece of wood. You'll immediately see what I mean.

Not the mile-deep clear you'll get using 2PAC auto clear but this level of gloss does suit the EM cabinets nearly perfectly. Here's the Bonanza done in full gloss (2 coats) which looked amazing:

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