I think I would like to see a sample of the painters pickling stain. Pickling was very popular a while ago but has since faded away, and I'm not sure of it hiding the grain of the oak. Pictures would be really helpful here!

Agree with Bobbi. Pickled oak cabinets can look very dated, as they were a fad in the 1980s. I think you'd be better off painting. It would be a shame to spend money updating your honey oak cabinets only to turn them into a different outdated style.

I painted my maple cabinets about 1 1/2 years ago and they're still going strong too.

I've done pickling, or white washing before on knotty pine, and I promise you, the grain and the knots show thru. And knotty pine is much lighter in color than honey oak.

thank you all! I'm just curious....I was on Houzz last night looking up whitewashing, and there were some gorgeous pics of whitewashed oak cabinetry with distressed cherry islands (I have one of those in my kitchen), that had a very French/Old World look. If I were to go after that look by whitewashing the cabinets, would it look outdated?

I love the look of whitewashed wood paneling in rooms and on cabinets when it gives them a very simple rustic effect (a bit like driftwood), and I don't find that look dated. But I'd need to see your cabinet door design to judge whether that is the effect you would get from whitewashing or not. The pickled oak cabinets from the 1980's ended up having almost pinkish tones to the wood and often had raised panel doors with arched tops, whereas in the photos below you'll see the cabinet doors are very simple, almost stark shaker panel designs. Can you grab one of the inspiration photos you found last night as well as posting a photo of your kitchen? I think that would help people here give more precise advice.