The Ideal Cabinet Repaint

[slickshift]

The Ideal Cabinet Repaint:

Clean with ammonia/water solution
Let dry

Sand with 180
This is to "rough up" the surface, not sand it off
Wipe with Tack Cloth

Prime with a white-pigmented shellac based primer*
(Use a disposable brush and take precautions
Plenty of fresh air and a respirator are good ideas when working with shellac)
Let dry

Sand with 180
This is a light sanding to smooth out the shellac a bit
Wipe with tack cloth

Paint first coat, using a good quality oil-based enamel, or a quality waterborne enamel, using the a good quality proper type brush (oil/water-based prefer different kinds of brushes)
Let dry over night

Lightly sand with 220
Wipe with tack cloth

Second coat quality oil based enamel, or a quality waterborne enamel, also with a proper brush

Enjoy beautiful cabinets
…and the long-lasting durable finish you applied yourself

*If the cabinets are in good shape, and not too dark, a quality oil-based (alkyd) primer may be used for priming (and TSP for cleaning)
I suggest a shellac because it works on just about any surface, dark, light, wood, laminate, bare wood, stained wood, polyurethane-ed wood, pickled wood, previously oil-based or latex painted wood, and even the questionable surfaces like inexpensive “paper” laminates if the surface is prepped and the shellac applied carefully
It’s also your best bet for plastic or melamine type surfaces

If the cabinets are known to have a quality, properly adhering, latex or waterborne finish in good shape, the primer step could be skipped if the surface was scuff sanded well-but it would still be better to do the step and use a quality water based enamel undercoating as a primer