Have you considered using ESP on them and putting on a new coat of varnish instead of painting them? The reason I say this, oak cabinets will still show striation because of the grain and oak is very difficult to look good painted. I know that others will disagree with me, but I would prefer you clean them and refinish. If they are not "real" oak, then you can clean them with ESP or something similar, even 409 Orange does a good job and prep them with something like Kilz and just use a good paint. I would prefer sending them out to have them sprayed if possible. Any good paint will work, but make sure your paint brush, if you are using a brush or roller, are of the highest quality for the paint you are using. A good Benjamin Moore or Behr dealer can help you.

I used Cabinet Coat. You can special order it from any Ace hardware store. I researched the web extensively and heard nothing but praises for this paint. I originally wanted to use oil paint for its durability, but wanted water-based for ease of application. I chose Cabinet Coat because it is supposed to give a very durable finish, but doesn't yellow as oil does. So far I am extremely pleased with its nice finish and durability and plan to use it not only for my cabinets, but for all the woodwork in my house as I go along.

I had saved this in my clippings back when I considered painting my cabinets. Don't know anything about the process and how it works but here it is: RE: Paint these kitchen cabinets? (Follow-Up #38) posted by: bbstx on 07.30.2012 at 10:36 pm in Home Decorating & Design Forum There was a person who used to post on the kitchen forum quite frequently. She had re-done several houses. She advocated painting cabinets as follows (I've cut and pasted her advice from several different threads): I only use high quality nylon (Purdy) brushes. I prefer them for wood finishes. They cost more but they last forever! This is exactly what I use: Sherwin Williams PrepRite ProBlock Interior Exterior Seals and Bonds, Latex primer (be sure you get exactly that one...it says BONDS on the label). It's made to cover shiny surfaces and bond tightly, and I've used it in several kitchens, and on all of my interior woodwork and it does BOND!! No sanding, just wipe down your cabinets with either a TSP and water mixture or a little vinager and water to get rid of grease. This stuff is wonderful. I've converted many naysayers to the primer because you really don't have to sand or use a deglosser, and even if they're thermafoil...it will BOND and you'll have a finish you can then paint on. :O) It's so much easier. I just love it (I just picked up another couple of gallons last night). And the finish will be tough as nails by the way. I personally also like to use a high quality sherwin williams paint. I use one coat primer and let it dry a day at least, then two coats (one day between at least) of paint with a good Purdy brush (which is important). With just one coat the grain still effects the paint, but with the two on top of the primer you get that nice smooth look :) I'm a paint freak, so forgive me for saying this if you know. Don't use rollers for wood. I like a 1 1/2 inch and a 2 1/2 or 3" brush at the most. The smaller works well on the small areas so you don't drip or oversmear the sides of the project. I have painted several cabinets using the SW primer without any other prep work, except making sure the cabinets were relatively clean. So far they have held up fine.

CLC, I did mine about a year ago with instructions I found on DIY (I think). First I took off the doors and the hardware and washed everything down with TPC (I think that's the right name). You can find it in the paint dept. in a little carton like milk comes in. You mix it up in warm water. It's supposed to clean off all dirt, grease, etc. It did a great job! Next I sanded all surfaces with a fine sandpaper then cleaned with a tack cloth. Then I painted one coat, sanded and tack clothed (?) when it was dry, and painted a second coat. I used interior enamel in a gloss finish. So far they still look pretty good, but I suspect I should have used some kind of oil-based paint since I'm pretty sure the original finish was oil-based. And I should have used high gloss because I wanted much more shine than I got. We didn't take the cabinets out. I painted the doors and drawers out in the garage, but painted the bases where they were. It was a really big job! I took 5 days off work and it ended up taking all that time and several more weekends to get it all done. And most of the doors don't want to close all the way after having the hardware removed and reinstalled. But they sure look better than the old, tired, out of date pickled oak finish! Donna