...kinda sad that some painters' can't let go of the past...

ANY Oil paint will yellow over time.
It's just a matter of "how fast"...

Yellowing of an Alkyd film is sloooow.
In a northern climate, it'll happen faster...relative to a sunnier locale (loooonnng winter nights ya know!).

The ABSENCE of UV-light is what causes the change.
>>> If you painted 2 cabinet doors identically, then put one in the closet, and used the other in the kitchen...the "closeted" door will have noticeably "ambered" in a MONTH.
>>> To have a comparison picture is nearly impossible. You'd have to have a side-by-side pic taken in identical light, etc....a few yrs. apart. Won't happen.

I wouldn't consider an Oil for Cab's.
* I'd use the Cabinet-Coat brand from Insl-X; or ACE's Cabinet, Door & Trim paint.
* These paints are "Hybrids". They also level nicely. 24 hours usually REQUIRED between each coat.
* The ACE version is "Whiter", and much easier to tint to a known color than CC.
* Or...consider FPE. I've been lucky enough to be sampling some of these paints in the store where I work.
* 2 coats of ECO-Brilliant White (24 hrs. apart!!) on a sanded primer is a thing of beauty!!! It's not cheap stuff however...$110 for the Eurogallon (2.5L).

Faron

Cabinet Coat is a special order item here. Believe it or not there isn't a nearby ACE nearby either.

There is a BM dealer here and a SW.

Any suggestions with those limited choices?

We were pretty disappointed with the rest of the bids. Many painters wouldn't provide references or were generally unprofessional. A lot of paint contractors are so busy trying to finish exterior jobs before the snow flies that they won't even speak with us.

Any suggestions for suggesting a water-based paint to the contractor we like?

There are several choices from both BM and SW. BM has Aura and Waterborne Satin Impervo and SW has ProClassic (waterborne and alkyd). Not all painters are comfortable with these products as there is a bit of a learning curve; especially compared to an alkyd. As an aside, if you were going for a color other than white, alkyds are still an excellent choice. While acrylic technology has certainly come a long way, they still do not develop the hardness of an alkyd. That's why you generally hear that you should top coat a latex with a protective clear finish - not something you need with an alkyd. Also, since alkyds are a sustainable technology, as opposed to hydrocarbon based latexes, don't be surprised if you see a rebirth of new alkyd technologies in the future.

Could we get away with an off white that was less susceptible to yellowing? We are open to colors other than white as long as they still brighten up the kitchen. Can anyone think of some possible BM colors that are light but wouldn't yellow?

Yes, indeed, an off-white will yellow less than a stark white.
I came across some trim on a job that had been painted one time, in 1817. The color looks like a greenish ivory or light sage. But I sanded a patch with 220 paper, and after removing the old dirty yellowed surface (heavily-oxidized linseed oil) it's white. Surprise!
Casey

The problem is, the yellowing doesn't really occur uniformly. So, some pieces will yellow more than others and panel insets will yellow more than the panel itself. IMO, it just looks bad eventually no matter what shade of white you use. Brown and black would be safe though.

Don't do it!
I let a painter talk me into oil-based white paint on my cabinets and they looked like a smoker lived in the house within 18 months. And like paintguy said, they don't yellow uniformly. They just looked dirty.

If you like ivory or navajo white, I suppose that would be better than a true white, but the uneven yellowing still makes them look dirty.
Renee

We were pretty disappointed with the rest of the bids. Many painters wouldn't provide references or were generally unprofessional. A lot of paint contractors are so busy trying to finish exterior jobs before the snow flies that they won't even speak with us.

Are you anywhere close to Maryland? If so,I would paint them for you,although not in oil.

I am intrigued by paintguy1's suggestion of using a clear protective finish as a final step to a latex application.

The contractor stated in his bid that he would spray the doors and drawer fronts and brush the cabinet frames.

Is it possible to get a good smooth finish with a latex? I only ask because it seems like adding a somewhat glossy clear coat would exaggerate imperfections in the paint job.

christophern:
Unfortunately, we don't live anywhere near Maryland. Wyoming in fact. Even though we live in a relatively populated area of Wyoming (if that is even possible) paint contractors are hard to come by and most of those that come highly recommended only want to paint the outside of our house right now. As one contractor told me, "we'll be working on exterior projects until November - why don't you give me a call then."

mackers, painting cabinets is very DIYable. Not exactly oodles of fun, lots of tedious, time consuming work, careful steps, but definitely something you could do yourself if healthy and ambitious. âº

Would DIY be an option if you just can't get the contractor thing worked out?

Unfortunately I have neither the time nor energy to tackle a project of this size. We've sorted out the contractor issue - he has agreed to use a water based paint. He claims it is not his preferred paint (although he has used it many times in the past) but that he is guaranteeing the same quality of finish. He thinks he will have to do some light sanding in between coats but I am not convinced that will be necessary.

He said it would take about a week to complete - there is a significant amount of prep. Hopefully everything turns out as expected!

Thanks to everyone for your help.