I have been researching the same thing for a while. So far I have discovered that for the most durable and professional looking cabinets, you need to use an oil based primer and an oil based paint. Even if you choose not to go with oil based, you must use a primer. I also read that to get the smoothest finish it should be applied with a sprayer (not very practical for a do it yourself homeowner in my opinion) or second best, a foam roller. I'm still trying to figure out the glaze myself. Good luck!!

If you want it to look professional, hire a professional painter. It is VERY difficult to get cabnets to look good doing it yourself( IMO)

Yes you should use a primer over raw wood. I would select a high quality oil based primer but an acrylic primer will also work if you don't want to deal with the fumes and all that. After priming, you will want to sand with a fine grit sanding block, dust off and then apply two topcoats. Your finish coat does not have to be oil based these days. 100 percent acrylic paints are every bit as durable without the yellowing, cracking and the stink that you get with using oils...oh, and without the loooooong drying times too!

I agree that painting new cabinets is best left to the pros. It is very hard for a novice painter to do a professional looking job. Heck, I even know a lot of painters that are terrible at it! It's really the same deal with the glazing...professional results only come if you have years of practice unless you get very lucky which does happen.

You will want to use high quality rollers and brushes. Corona and Wooster make the best brushes IMO followed closely by Purdy. You may also choose to roll them...for that you should use a small 4" roller, sometimes called weenie rollers made by either Whizz or Wooster has some too. The nap size should be 1/4".