I would like to paint my cheap oak prefab kitchen cabinets. I am worried that I will have to apply numerous coats to hide the grain. The doors are thin with a frame around them and I think they were sealed with some type of urethane, but that has worn away unevenly.

I'm wondering if there is some type of thin filler material (like spackle, but more durable) that I could apply with a putty knife and then sand, so that I would be starting with a smoother surface for painting.

Any recommendations on type of primer and paint to use would also be appreciated. I would prefer to use water-soluable, but would consider oil-based if it will make a huge difference.

Thanks!!
Julie

If you want something really durable you can use car bondo/body filler.

It's a 2 part system. You have the gray body filler and a small tube of accelerator.
Scoop some filler onto a flat scrap of wood add a small amount of accelerator, mix the two together and using a 2" wide plastic putty knife fill in the grooves. Sand when dry (usually 15 min.)

NOTE- don't not mix more than you can work with. Depending how much accelerator you use, the filler will dry very quickly. About 2-5 min.