I don't know if I'd call Ramline the cheapest of all.....Butler Creek stocks are worse and some of Choate's are too, IMO. I've had a couple of Ramline stocks, and no complaints about them. One on a Winchester Model 70, couple on Enfields, one on a Remington 7400. They aren't fancy. They are more better and no worse than any other factory plastic stock. But you can beat them up and not feel guilty. Look at them on midwayusa and read the reviews, there are very few complaints about them.
As for the wood stock, you can always sand it, prime it, and paint it however you want too, if you want something more durable than the wood finish itself. You can use spray-on bedliner, trunk paint, Fleckstone, etc. All of them will give you a nice textured finish. Some are much more colorful than others. After the trunk paint or other paints, use a couple coats of clear coat to give them a good waterproof finish.