I also had dark brown cabinets. They are wood but the doors are a very hard plastic. I washed them real good, sanded and used Kilz as a base coat, semi gloss acrylic for the main coat (two coats). Then I used a simple stencil and made a very light design on each door and covered all of that with a clear semi gloss acrylic. That was 3 years ago and they still look like new. Kilz is a mildew resistant base coat. Do not use a substitute, they do not cover as well. I have used Kilz under wallpaper also and as a base coat on bare walls.