Painting my kitchen cabinets

I would prime them just so you keep a consistent color matte going.

Id use different values of orange and some careful use of steel wool and sanding to get an accurate distressing look. Orange , just as some new covering, may be really startling if its not "antiqued" just a little. Why not prime it with a darker blue and then distress the orange to let a little blue show through.

You can use a fairly thin coat of white emulsion on wood to seal that, maybe not pro, but cheap and very effective, normally there's some lying around.

It probably is not absolutely required to prime them, how much 'evenness' you get from priming of any kind will likely be negligible, given the other paint can be purchased to go straight on it, that may be thicker, check the tin for 'primer required' or such.

Are you looking for a high gloss look or an antiqued, muted orange?

If your gonna paint your cabinets bot, Id say replace the doors with something different.

I recommend using primer before painting the cabinet. The main reason to use primer is because they have good binding properties, so the paints will not wear away soon and it will also look good.

I think most of us whove painted cabinets agree that priming is a necessry step.(It also saves paint)

Time depends on your kitchen area ... kindly mention your kitchen area.