Designing Kitchens and Bathrooms - Will removal of glued countertops ruin cabinets?

We're upgrading our kitchen with new appliances and granite countertops. But after removing the stove and dishwasher we noticed it looks like the original laminate counterops were installed the old-fashioned way, glue and nails. The edges of the counters seem tight (maybe glued?) against the front of the cabinet (which are oak, the insides are pressboard, or whatever you call that stuff). We're concerned that when they try to remove the existing countertops we'll end up with a bunch of torn up cabinets. Should we be concerned? Please share your experience and insights!!

I've never had much luck removing glued countertops from particleboard cabinets without at least some damage, though I am usually replacing the cabinets as well as the countertops so I wasn't exactly trying to save the cabs.

My neighbors put granite on their pressboard cabinets, and now the cabinets are collapsing. Granite is too heavy for pressboard. Thats a lot of money, I'd make sure your installer guaranteed you that your cabinets are strong enough.

Hi, let me explain what I meant by particle board. The front of the cabinets are solid oak, the back and sides are plywood with oak veneer, it's just the inside dividing pieces that are particle board, so wouldn't the outer oak and plywood surpport the granite? Please let me know, you have me worried! My concern was that when we try to remove the old laminate countertop (which is attached with glue and nails) that it would be difficult to remove and might damage the cabinets (both the outer oak part and the inner particle board). Now I'm worried the whole idea is not workable?!? I suppose it would be a good idea to have the contractor come out and take a look before moving forward.

Any removal tips, or might it be better to use the existing counter as the base for the granite? Thanks for your thoughts!