Do you want the wood grain to show or not. If the cabinet maker has a spray booth have him paint them if not have them done in a spray booth a much better finish and lasts a lot longer.

If stain gives you the look you want, go with that. It's so much more durable than paint.

However, my new custom kitchen cupboards (7 years new!) are ash, painted off white and the installers told me to expect chips. I got the look I wanted and the odd chips come along with it. The chips aren't noticeable to others. When I used the same guy to do my ensuite bathroom custom cabinets, he touched up all the chips in the kitchen. Thanks, Dale, of Interior Woodcraft Designs, Oshawa, ON!

Here's what I found when looking for "white-stained cabinets" fyi:

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