Does painting cabinets last, or does it chip?

A properly prepped and sprayed finish holds up to daily kitchen use. Chipping is nearly always a prep failure. Grease left on the doors, no bonding primer, or hardware put back before the finish hardened.

Can oak grain be hidden?

Partly. Paint fills some of it, but open grain oak still reads as textured under a smooth white. A grain filling step reduces it further. If you want a completely flat door face, that is a door replacement question, not a paint question.

Can laminate or thermofoil be painted?

Sound laminate can be, with the right bonding primer. Thermofoil that has started peeling cannot. If a corner is already lifting, that door needs replacing.

How long is the kitchen out of use?

The doors leave for the length of the job and the boxes are masked, so the kitchen is disrupted rather than unusable. The part people underestimate is the wait after the last coat, before hardware goes back on.

Should I paint the cabinets before listing the house?

Often yes, since it costs far less than replacement at a point when you are trying to limit spending. Ask your agent what buyers in your bracket expect before you commit.

What if only some of the doors are damaged?

Single doors can be replaced and finished to match the rest. That is often far cheaper than a new kitchen, and it is worth asking about before you write the cabinets off.