I don't wipe up every drip or splash as I'm washing up, but I do a look over after cooking or cleaning up to make sure that there aren't any drips or splashes on the cabinets and do a quick wipe down with a barely damp paper towel and then a quick wipe with a dry one.

You may want to rethink white painted lowers. Your new kitchen should be pretty, but also livable. I feel the plastic would be in your way - trying to open doors - or keeping them closed firmly if the plastic is in the way.

Design a kitchen to live with - it needs to be a working, cooking space before it is a showplace - and it can be pretty and functional - but if you are not the cook for white lower painted cabinets, consider wood and white. The lighter, wood stained cabinets are showing up in many of the new design pics.

I love this kitchen from last season's This Old House:

This kitchen has been a favorite of mine for years:

Develop better kitchen habits.

I second GreenDesigns. You want new cabinets? Take care of them. Take the time to wipe up water spills. Minor food smudges can be wiped away later, but you are talking about leaving dripped water or food on your cabinets until you.... get around to it, whenever? Whether stained or painted, you should make the attempt to care for them or why bother with wood at all? And now you wish to hang some kind of thin plastic around your sink to protect your cabinets... again, why even bother with new cabinets. I don't mean to be harsh, but I'm an admitted 'mess' in the kitchen, and I have learned to keep wet hands wiped off, grab a towel from the counter to dab off drips.. it's not hard and takes but a second. I'm not sure what type of plastic you're referring to, but if you can stand how it'll look just so you don't have to briefly mop up your drips, it might scratch the back of your cabinets, it might, as you worry, create moisture buildup over time that you can't see until the damage is done.

Two options: either change your kitchen habits or get cabinets that better mesh with your lifestyle. Get something you will enjoy on its own without modifications and makes you relax, not something that makes you constantly worry if it will get ruined. The latter will make you resentful, especially when it comes to an invasive and costly renovation such as a new kitchen. If you have to modify something that expensive right off the bat, it’s not the right product for you.

I wouldnt hang plastic over them. That is very tacky. No one needs a kitchen, or any other room, that you are afraid to use. Cabinets should be done to withstand, regular use. I have 9 great grandkids that climb mine to get cups, glasses, bowls etc out of the cabinets. They spill juice down the front, on occasion, and being little, they dont bother to clean it up, they spill milk down the front, etc. I also have a very busy beagle, who stands up to check to see if anything is on the top of the cabinet he might like. Its been a bit over 4 yrs, since I painted them myself, with proper prep, and primer and cabinet paint, and I have never had to touch up anything on them. They still look just like the day they were finished. Unless you beat on them, they wont get damaged under normal every day usage. Relax and enjoy your new kitchen. Cabinets are tougher than you think.

Thank you all so much for your comments and advice. I've been reading about other peoples problems with painted doors but their have been a few people with stained door problems too. Thank again!

sincerelymjandr, I really think you'll be surprised at what your cabinets can withstand. Wiping up water/food spills and drips takes but a moment, but after reading your comment above, I think perhaps you've felt they must be wiped up lightening-fast, and with cabinets painted professionally, you'll have time to take care of them. I was overcautious even touching our new cabinets, but I found they won't melt away after all, haha : - )

Neither of these things should exist. Pick a good brand with a great factory finish, and don’t be sloppy with water and dribble it everywhere. Cabinets don’t need to be washed, or mopped, with gallons of water. They should never be scrubbed, or disinfected either. People’s odd obsessiveness over creating an operating room in a kitchen does way more harm than good.

Plain and Fancy is an excellent company. Please reconsider the plastic strategy. Wipe down the messy part of the kitchen after each use- it takes less than a minute- and you will be golden. I have painted white Crown Point cabinets and they get wiped down a great deal without any problems. They replaced the PO white Wood Mode, which were in ship shape as well. I use a damp paper towel for the daily clean up- if something particularly nasty got on the cabinets I spray some Mrs. Meyer's multi purpose on the paper towel and am done in a jiffy.

PS To be fair, my cabinets are relatively new and so were the PO's. But they do not feel like the paint will wear off with cleaning.