What is absolute best way to repaint kitchen cabinets?

[jnw]

I can use heat gun to remove all the old paint to wood.. then prime it with whatever.  I guess I should go oil based right?  What is the very best paint I can buy and what is the best method?  I want it to last and look really good.  Good thing is I can paint one cabinet door per day if I wanted over a couple weeks.

The cabinet doors are really nicely shaped and solid wood.  They look great when painted off white.  I think the previous owner used acrylic paint so they peeled easy.

[nereo]

First, you have to know what paint was there previously, and use a corresponding primer. If it was water-based latex that is going to require a different prep than if it was oil based. Also, make sure no layers were painted with lead-based paint.  If so take proper precautions.

Prep is key.  Sand down to a smooth surface, remove hardware and fill any holes or divots (like those left by old hardware you won’t be reusing). Use a shop vac and a tack cloth to get rid of all the dust before painting (or wipe down with a lint free cloth lightly moistened with mineral spirits).

An airless spray gun will give you the best results. You can rent them but if you are going to be doing this over a period of several weeks that won’t be cost effective.  I seem them pop up on FB Marketplace every so often for cheap.  Find a place with minimal dust/debris and do several light passes on each side.   If you can’t get an airless sprayer (and I highly, highly recommend one for this kind of application) you can do ok with a roller with a smooth nap and a quality paintbrush.  I’ve had best results cutting in the details first, allowing that to dry, then finishing the flat surfaces with the roller. But a sprayer is going to be your best friend here.

Finally, while the paint may dry in a few hours it will take up to a month to fully cure. Read the manufacturer’s use guides, but in general you want to give doors at least a couple days before re-installing and like shelves which will be in contact with items takes a week or more.

[SailingOnASmallSailboat]

All of what @nereo said.

Count on the prep taking the bulk of your time to do this project. Like 80-90% of your time. Sure, you can heat gun to get the bulk of the old paint off, but there will still be hours of sanding.

[sonofsven]

The heat gun might be overkill. You can generally remove abot 80% of the paint easily and the last 20% is near impossible.
Just sand, probably start with 80 grit, then 100, then 120. If 80 is too aggressive then skip up to 100.
I don't use oil based for much anymore, most professional painters in my world have moved to water based.
I like Pratt and Lambert paint. Get one specifically for cabinets and interior finish work and you should be good to go.

[SunnyDays]

The proper paint is important.  I painted my wood kitchen cupboards in white using a cabinet and trim paint, I think it was CIL at the time.  I just used a brush or small roller, 2 thin coats, and 29 years later, they still look great.  Super wipeable and haven't peeled at all.  For the interiors, I used a non-voc paint, because otherwise the smell in closed doors would not be pleasant.  As others have said, prep is the key, but sanding should be fine - you just want to take off any gloss and give the new paint something a bit rough to stick to.

[familyandfarming]

The only thing to add is have the primer tinted to the same color as the final coat.

[Cranky]

You need to sand. My sil insisted on painting the cabinets last summer (because he hates white, go figure) and he decided that sanding was boring. It shows.

[jnw]

Thanks for all the great advice!

I'll be using the heat gun -- I want to get every bit of the acrylic off -- and then sand where appropriate; I don't think the heat gun will hurt the cabinets since they aren't ply but solid wood all the way through.

I'll get cabinets in tip top shape for painting.

I want this to last for 20+ years, like it did for SunnyDays :)

[Thriftybugger]

Before we went with our DIY installed Ikea kitchen I used a special primer before I painted the cabinets I recall. I would not sand just degrease.

This is an article I consulted. I recall using a special paint called Alkyd Paint from Benjanminmoore - primer something like smart prime. It came out ok and the secret was the primer as you are painting on a smooth surface.

https://www.younghouselove.com/how-to-paint-your-cabinets-aka-hallelujah/