all in honestly, ANY wood would look better then what it does now. wow, its destroyed. Its that pressboard wood, because the layers came apart!!
picture it like this: all the safty glass brass was corroded. The cabnet had no stain left on it, and picture a wooden cabnet sitting in a puddle of water for years, how it looks black and wavy in areas, with all the layers of pressboard seperating, and the hind support legs and the 1 by 1s black and rotted away. and then no side on the left. rotted side on the right. no finish, and lots of termite damage in the surrounding specialty trim. Thats what it "looked" like.
all i got is a lowes and home depot around here. So, if it wont stain right, then ill go with the simulated finish paper.