Dark paint colors take longer to set and dry than light paint colors because they usually contain more pigment. Stain wears better than paint because defects are harder to detect when the wood grain is still visible. But if they are telling you their painted finish will chip easily, they aren’t using conversion varnish (which they should be using if these are custom cabinets) or even the right kind of paint (a urethane enamel). Maybe keep looking for a cabinetmaker who does what you want properly?

So are you saying that if they use a urethane enamel paint then I shouldn’t have problems with scratching and chipping easily?

If they use a conversion varnish, which is what professionals use, you should have no problem. Urethane enamel would be the next step down in finish. Latex paint is really not a cabinet coating. They should know all of this.

The proposal says cabinets painted with “enamel”

That can mean latex enamel. That’s not what you want. You could order your doors and drawer fronts from a company that uses better coatings (link here), or you can go with a dark stain they want to use, or order the cabinetry from another company. It’s up to you, but I wouldn’t ask for painted cabinets when they have already told you their painted finish will not last. Good luck!

Thanks for the advice. Since the proposal said walls and ceilings in latex and cabinets in enamel, I figured that was a good cabinet paint. This company we’re using is well respected and reputable in my community. I was just surprised that I’m being advised against a dark paint color when I see people using dark paint colors all over Houzz and other home sites. I’m sure if I demand a certain kind of paint they will gladly use it. I’m just not sure what to use. I’ve read a lot about the Emerald line with Sherwin-Williams.

Most people think paint when they see cabinets that look painted, but if they are factory finished, it's probably a pigmented cabinet coating and not paint.

Here is a link to this type of finish from Sherwin-Williams. Notice it's from their Industrial Wood Coatings division.

https://industrial.sherwin-williams.com/na/us/en/industrial-wood/catalog/category/products-by-industry/kitchen-cabinetry/pigmented-wood-topcoats.10656726.html

Like eam44 said, these are the types of finishes your cabinet maker should be using, and not paint.

There are plenty of good trim and cabinet paints that will work on cabinets, but the quality of the finish will be less -- not as durable.

One advantage of paint is that it is easily repaired.

People like your cabinet maker probably like paint because it's easy and something they understand. It costs far less than the professional cabinet coatings, is easy to obtain, does not require special application equipment or additional special chemicals, and is generally good enough for the uneducated customer.

Thank you for this very thoughtful response. This makes so much sense sense.
I have one more quick. Is it generally less expensive to have handmade custom built cabinets that are painted or pre-manufactured cabinets that are factory finished, as mentioned above?

Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel is a fantastic coating for cabinetry and trim, and were you painting your cabinets yourself, I would say you should absolutely use this. But professionals have access to better coatings than lay people, generally speaking. Scherr’s at the link above uses Sayerlack® Hydroplus™ Waterborne Clear which is a self-sealing waterborne acrylic polyurethane finish and can be applied catalyzed (meaning they add something to it to help it cure) or uncatalyzed. Their cabinet finishers spray this on using advanced machinery in controlled temperature, dust-free rooms where the finish will cure for as long as it takes.

If you respect their ability, follow their advice. They are flat out telling you they are not using the products they would have to use to give you a durable finish in the color that you want. So do it their way.

The only way to know about price is to ask for quotes. Absolutely get them from several companies!

I can't really answer your question about cost of locally made custom vs. "store-bought", because I've only used custom (the same shop, two different kitchens). For me, the ability to size everything exactly to my specifications was worth a lot - for example, in my 3-drawer stacks, the bottom drawers are deep enough to hold my crock pots, large cooking pots, rice cooker, and cake pans stored on their sides. The middle drawer is shorter. Most drawers stacks are made with the 2 bottom drawers the same size.

Our custom shop will mix up stain samples to give me exactly the color I want.

When there was a mistake with our cabinets (happened with each kitchen), the shop immediately started building replacements, no questions asked.

We got some specialty things, like a toe-kick drawer and pull-out cutting boards, that aren't available in a lot of stock lines.

Cheaper? Probably, if I was to compare to a company that could give me exactly what I got from the custom shop.

Thanks! When you say they mixed up stain samples to your liking, does this mean you have a wood “stain” and not a paint color? I was wanting a dark charcoal paint color on some built-ins and I’m worried it won’t look the same with a wood stain.

Both of our custom kitchens are stained. I know they do painted cabinets, but since that wasn't in our project, I didn't ask for specifics.

For stain, they made up a 12"x12" sample board with each color, and used the same finish as the final. At the end of the project, we got the can of stain, since it was mixed specifically for our project.

Some of my semi-custom cabinet lines can do quite a bit of customization. Finding a good designer...and a cabinet with a good finish, should be the main priority.

Local cabinet makers can be awful...or they can be top of the line.

I've seen local cabinet maker product that I wouldn't put in my laundry room! And I've seen some that are beautiful.

You gotta do the legwork on getting estimates. There's no general rule on this here.