Designing Kitchens and Bathrooms - Confused at what cabinet type I have, and need refurbishing advise

I just read the cabinet refacing guide, and it says don't bother if the old cabinets got vinyl finishing. But now, I really don't know what type of finishing I have. As far as I can tell by peeling back the facing slightly, the core is just particle board, and the facing is a sheet of some sort. Can someone tell me how to distinguish between different types of facing? Also, would it be hard to do refacing on particle boards? Thanks a lot.

There are cabinets that are covered with a vinyl contact paper. There are also those that have plastic melamine covering. And, there are those with vinyl thermofoil overlay.

http://kitchenrefacing.org/

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/refacingcabinets1

Cabinets are made typically using either plywood or particleboard. Cabinet manufacturers would prefer to use particleboard partly because of cost but also because it is the most stable. By stable, I mean that it stays straighter than plywood and does not twist or bend.

The only real downside to particlelboard is it is suseptible to water damage (it will abosrb water like a sponge and expand)

But remember, the vast majority of "formica" countertops are made using particleboard ( oh by the way, making countertops is a form of refacing) So actually, particleboard is ideal for refacing purposes.

Relative to the facing, obviously there is no real way to tell unless one can look at it and/or feel it.

How old are your cabinets ? And as far as the doors, do they look like a stained or natural wood ( oak, maple or cherry). Are they a flat, a flat panel or raised panel or some other configuration ?

If you can supply a picture, someone may be able to help.

And most of all, who would be doing the refacing, you or
a professional refacer ?