The original owner of our house stopped by recently, and commented that she had painted the cabinets in the 1960s. We bought the house in 2004, and MAYBE the cabinets had been repainted by the 2nd owner, but I don't think so, they were in pretty good shape. We had them painted about 7 years ago because we wanted a whiter white. The laundry room cupboards were painted in the 60's, too, still look perfect today with no touch-ups. Gosh, probably has lead in it and that's why it's so durable.

If you do proper prep, use superior paint, and good technique (my painter used a roller and I think a sprayer), they may last as long as ours have. Our painter said preparing the surface is the key, you want to be sure the paint adheres to the surface for good.

Thank you!

Today's painted kitchen cabinet finish is done in a factory over doors that are fabricated from high density fiber board. The paints used are very high tech and not the type used by painters who paint homes. The special paint is formulated to not discolor or fade from UV rays and cleaning agents.

If you select a door with a separate framed panel in the center, the frame and panel will expand and contract at different rates and the paint will always crack at the seams.. By using a simulated framed panel from the fiberboard, all door material will expand and contract at the same rate and the paint finish will not crack at the seams.

Thank you beverly27. So, a painted factory finish would hold up better than a local custom cabinet shop painted finish?

Depends on what type of paint they are using in the shop. Let them sell you on their product. See what it is and if it will resist or be protective of your concerns. Like.........will tomato sauce, grape juice or mustard stain it? Those are notorious stain problems in the kitchen. Will white paint yellow over time? Will heat from the oven discolor the paint. What can you safely wash the final finish with? Is the finish guaranteed from crazing and cracking? Things that might be of concern to you.

My paint finish cabinets from IKEA in white do not yellow, do not stain and can be cleaned with almost any thing and take it. Good luck.

We have custom cabinets that are maple with a cream/white paint. We have had them for 8 years and just had them touched up this past week. I must say a factory finish will hold up better than a custom cabinet shop. However, I love custom cabinets and they were touched up easily.