Question about painting kitchen cabinets?

I want to repaint my kitchen cabinets a cream color. Right now they are varnished and some have a buildup of grease/varnish on them from decades ago. If I scrub them with some TSP-PF cleaner to get grease off, can I just prime them and put paint on top of old varnish? Or is is better for me to strip the old layers off? I do want good results but don't want to have to strip cabinets unless absolutely necessary.

Public Comments

1. strip off the old layers but you have to sand them gently so that the paint will stick
2. ask at you local home improvement store. but I would clean them with TSP and lightly sand them(remember to wipe them again after you sand to get off all the grit.) Paint with a good primer, and then with your paint. Remember to prime with a primer meant for the type of paint you are using. In other words if you paint with a oil base paint, make sure you use an oil based primer
3. There is no need to strip them if you use an oil based paint (preferrably a good brand like Benjamin Moore). Just give them a good sanding (along the grain) first. Oil based paints are different to work with though so you might need to read or ask a friend on application. Basically you paint it on, use a long stroke and then let it dry (1-2 days). You do not use more than a couple strokes when applying. No primer necesssary. Make sure you take hardware off first. You can leave doors attached if you want. Paint back of doors first.
4. Cleaning with TSP should do the trick but you may have to do quite a bit of sanding if you don't want to strip them. You'll need to sand them real well & then prime them. After the primer is dry sand them lightly & then paint.