If it were me I would use Ben Moore Aura....and I would not sand too fine, go to 150 MAX (even 120 would be good) and then paint away. If you sand too finely you will be polishing the wood and not giving much for the primer to "bite" into

Good luck!

I am doing this even as we "speak!" I am only waiting for drying time between coats.

I am also painting bare-wood cabinets and will be painting them all to match.

First, I totally agree with ajc71 with the harsher sandpaper. I experimented today and got that crazy polish from the 220.

Second, I have also been experimenting with brush-on primer vs. spray-on, and let me tell you, the difference is night and day! I brushed Glidden Gripper onto my base cabinets and doors, and it raised the grain on my unfinished cabs. Not too big a deal, but I did have to go back and re-sand then touch up with primer.

Then I spray-primed the unfinished upper cabinet doors with original Kilz (removed them and took them to the garage) and the difference was night and DAY! Not only was it faster the finish was awesome, and coverage was excellent.

You can bet your sweet bippie I will be doing the rest of the doors with a spray primer, even if I have to get something better-suited to pre-finished doors.

Stiles will still get the brush-on, mostly because I do not want to have to deal with spray in the house. The sanding will be bad enough.

Good luck!

It doesn't sound as though you've applied a sanding sealer yet.

Ben Moore oil based enamel undercoater. It is the heaviest-bodied primer they make, has a ton of silicate filler and pigment and is very sandable for a perfect smooth undercoat.
Casey

I guess I should clarify, in light of the two previous posts, that I actually welcome some grain showing through my paint coat, so I feel no need for any sort of sanding sealer or heavy primer.

I simply want good adhesion and stain/tannin sealer.

Ajc71, thank you very much for your info. I'll go for 150 max, which will save me a lot of time and work.

Greenhaven, thanks for sharing your experience. I never used a spray primer before, maybe I would have a try.

Eve72, thanks for your response. What sanding sealer do you recommend? Would applying it be a lot more work?

sombreuil_mongrel, thank you very much for your information. I never used oil based paint before. Would applying Ben Moore oil based enamel undercoater be a lot of work? Applying grain filler is known to be time consuming and requires more assiduous work. Can it be applied to the surface sanded just with 80 grit sanders?

Found this page when I was verifying what a sanding sealer actually was. Very helpful!

Here is a link that might be useful: How and When to Use Sanding Sealer

I love the effects of BM's Stix. It used to be Inslx, but BM bought them. It works particularly well with BM's Cabinet Coat (also previously by Inslx) which is THE hardest finish you can buy.

I have to say I probably won't paint any cabinets again without using an oil based primer. It makes such a huge difference in the flow of the paint!

I'm thinking your cabinets might be too old to worry about tannins.

I'm also glad you're not trying to use Kilz on your cabinets. Kilz is made for drywall. And for drywall, there's nothing better!