You needed a better quality paint. What product in what brand did you use? You can sand them down and start over. Dirt will always show on white. But it doesn't have to be difficult to clean.

I'm not sure what it was. When I asked for it I talked with them (lowes) about a paint for this, I'm not sure the brand, it wasn't Behr...was something else. It is supposed to be washable and water safe. The finish of it just soaks up somethings and really is hard to wipe down. Now, it has kilz (2 coats) and the paint. It's actually an off white, not bright white. Satin/semi gloss.

If I have to strip these sucker down, I'll torch these suckers and replace them. ohhh gosh it was NO JOKE painting these things. 37 cabinets and 15 drawers haha I'd rather keep my sanity (:

This is it now, with upper and lower painted, breadboard back splash, new tile, new appliances. Just need to change the hideous lights and blind.

It's the products. The fis IS to sand them down and start over. Or replace them.

I'm we used Benjamin Moore satin, I checked the can. I just can't get over the wierd texture. now...I rolled it on, but I also used a smooth finish roller. Replacing all these cabinets is just not an option, it'd cost a fortune. I'm afraid to repaint them and spend all that time and money and have it do the same thing. Originally we were going to antique glaze them and seal them, but we couldn't find a non-yellowing sealer or rather one that said it wouldn't yellow. After spending hundreds of dollars to paint and hundreds of dollars on hardware, we weren't going to risk that either.

...if we do repaint, which we may at some point, what brand of paint & type? What type of sealer?

If you bought it at Lowes, it is not Ben Moore. BM has a wonderful cabinet paint. We filled, primed and painted. It flowed on very smoothly (no brush marks). We used the roller they suggested and a really good quality finish brush.

Jolene, our kitchens are so similar!! The colors are almost identical, even the sink! Painting was the best upgrade we done, I would have loved them natural, but someone had painted and lacquered them already in the grooves with hunter green paint, Yikes!!! We found the breadboard (actually Allen Roth wallpaper) at a garage sale 2 rolls for 3 buck, haha, how lucky!! It's my most favorite update yet. It really feels homey because of that to me. This is a picture of before we done anything.

I know that's where we bought our hardware, we actually had to go buy extra a couple weeks ago because we damaged one....paint may have not been lowes, but I thought that's what it was. Either way, I just don't want to do it again and waste hundreds of dollars for nothing. I'm just not sure if it's something we did or if it was the paint.

What is breadboard backsplash?

Beadboard is a type of wood paneling (Though it can be done with individual boards also) that looks like the picture below. It generally comes wood, but there are also MDF and other types. The beadboard wallpaper gives the same look. I've used it and really like it. It is easier to install and remove than real beadboard, but not as durable.

A Evans - Ask at a reputable paint store for a good cabinet paint. Take a cabinet door with you and tell them what products you have already used. You may need to use something just a little glossier than satin.

The last advice is great. It's really important that you say everything about the history of your kitchen cabinets and ask for the paint of the highest quality. Make sure to sand cabinets before painting them again. Also, make sure you wipe everything down from your cabinets with a grease remover and vacuum up any debris before painting them.

Thanks so much yall! I guess it'll be going on the to do list.

What do yall suggest to do in order to get the paint off? I've heard of people taking them to a cabinet shop to have it removed, is that expensive to do (remember, I have roughly 40 between cabinets and drawers). I'm not sure if anyone near us does that, what type of product would should be used?

Benjamin's Moore has a line called Advance. It's amazing. Specifically for kitchens. I used it 18 months ago and it's holding up like new.

I've painted cabinets using white semi-gloss and it washes very well. It's been three years, and I haven't had to touch it up yet. I've also used the Rustoleum cabinet refinishing kit and thought it worked great. I used it on my parent's kitchen cabinets, and it's wearing well, despite lots of grandchildren traffic. There are three cans/three steps. First is a degreaser that you wash everything down with. It also works to take down the gloss finish, so you don't have to sand. Next is the paint color. My parents went with Cabernet, to complement the new floor tiles my dad had just laid. But there's a range of colors including a white and a cream. The final step was a glaze that we skipped. It's supposed to give dimension to the wood and an antiqued look but my mom felt we didn't need it, and I agree.

Unless you have a great deal of paint build up, you should not necessarily need to strip the cabinets. Clean them well and a light sanding to help with adhesion - though many of the good bonding primers (Zinsser makes a few different types) say on the can that sanding is not necessary. Since the cabinets have already been painted, probably you just need one coat of primer and one or two coats of good cabinet paint. I tend towards two light coats rather than one heavy coat. I have heard good things about the BM Advance mentioned above.

Your using wall paint and that is the problem. Advanced is good but slow to dry and takes some skill to apply. Sherwin Williams Solo or Pro Classic is also a durable paint. Cabinet Coat is sold through BM dealers under several names it is a great paint but limited on colors.

To avoid sanding you could clean, scuff and the clear with a waterborne poly. The clear will give added protection and easy of cleaning.

I think that was the problem as well...I'm sure of it after all these replies. Thank yall so much, oh but how I dread redoing these things. I love lots of storage, but this is the one time I have a negative view of so many darn cabinets (;

BM seems to be the winner with everyone. You said waterborne poly? is that a brand?