Category Archives: Under Counter Lighting Picture

Low-voltage under-cabinet lighting is a great and simple addition to your kitchen. It is functional, giving you better lighting in your workspace. It can be decorative, and depending on the types of lights you add, can completely change the mood of your kitchen.

There is a wide variety of under cabinet lights. You can get a lightbar with LEDs. LEDs emit little to no heat, and use very little electricity, and yet produce quite a bright amount of light. They also last much longer than incandescent or even fluorescent bulbs.

Another variety is called a “puck light”. It is a series of individual, round puck-like lights that are small and can be mounted in a variety of patterns. This makes it easy to illuminate certain, specific sections of your counters, either for a brighter workspace, or to highlight decorative elements. They plug in directly to the wall, which eliminates some of the work of hard-wiring.

As for materials, you will need the lighting kit, screwdrivers, drill with appropriate-sized bits, hammer, pencil, and safety glasses. If you choose to recess the lights, you will need a hole saw, or a keyhole saw. As always, refer to the instructions that come with your specific kit.

Clear both the counter below the cabinet, and remove the contents from the bottom shelf of the cabinets. Next, plan the layout of your lights. Some manufacturers have specific instructions about the spacing of the lights (for heat-emitting reasons), so pay attention to the instructions.

You want to place the lights as close to the front of the cabinet as possible. This gives the best lighting on the counter, and the facing of the cabinet can hide the lights and wires. You want to hide the wires and the unit that will plug into the wall. (Running the wires down behind a refrigerator is a good choice.) However, you may need to drill a small hole into the bottom of the cabinet and have the wires run through the cabinets themselves.

Mark the position of the lights with your pencil. Position the fixture, with the wire pointing toward the back of the cabinet. Mount the lights with either the included screws, or wood screws. Use wire tacks to secure the wires from the power supply to the light fixtures, again, as close as possible to the front of the cabinet. Hide excess cord inside or in between the cabinets. Once all units are installed, connect them to the wires and test.

By George Halt

Article Source: ezinearticles.com Continue reading →