Hi Ann,
I painted my cabinets a cream color...i think i used a semi-gloss paint and then 'antiqued' them using a glaze made by Ralph Lauren in the color teastain and I love them! Once the glaze dried, I didn't seal them, I just hung them back up. I did use a polyurethane on the "high traffic" areas where water would be or be rubbed against. Olympia makes a great polyurethane in a semi-gloss that's not too shiny and shouldn't yellow on you. I did it in Dec/Jan and the glaze has held up well.