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jcjanicki

confused about options for under cabinet lighting

Kirkarch
hace 6 años

I'm confused about what type of under cabinet lighting to buy. I want something low profile - LED, dimmable, and hard wired.

My electrician has left a wire under each upper cabinet. The lights will all be connected and operated by one wall switch. They were going to install these fairly large LED lights in a bulky housing that I thought were ugly and not what I had in mind. I would like to use that LED strip lighting that attach to the inside of the front of the upper cabinet but I'm at a loss as to what type of product to look for and am confused as to how those get attached to the hard wire that I have coming out of the wall. They told me that I can go low voltage if needed (although I think this is different than the LED strips) and they can put the transformer in a remote location but weren't helpful in directing me to specific products that would work.

If anyone can share the product or brand that they used and are happy with or point me to a site that can clarify all this for me, I would greatly appreciate it.

Respuesta destacada
  • 2ManyDiversions
    hace 6 años

    Kirkarch, thank you for starting this thread, and thank you to everyone who responded to this, as well as those posting photos, as we are also very confused!

    I'd been searching online for those with a diffuser, and I didn't want the dot reflections - I was having a hard time finding them.

    islandgarden, your post if very helpful. I was aware of color temperatures, and didn't want anything cool, as they seem to give me headaches for some odd reason - but I didn't know what was what.

    Comentarios (26)

    • MaWizz
      hace 6 años

      Glad you asked! My GC said the electrician is coming next week and to be ready to tell him what I want. I'm thinking the led strip in a channel with diffuser and I want dimmable like you. I too would like to know best products (brand?)

    • beachem
      hace 6 años

      Even with hardwire you still need a transformer (bulky) hidden somewhere to convert the voltage for LED.

      i chose to do my own design and electrical for the under cabinet lighting because the quoted cost was so high. There is so little information out there and it's new for a lot of electricians too. I originally went to an industrial electrical distributor and they were teaching the electricians. Check out your local electrical warehouses (where the experienced electricians go).

      i chose to do plug in instead of hardwire so that it's easier to replace if necessary. I bought the different components from all over, angled channel, LED strips, transformed.

    • sheloveslayouts
      hace 6 años

      My husband is the one who researched this part of our kitchen remodel, but I do know we're happy with our UCL, it's LED, and the brand is Counter Attack (how could I not remember that name?) I think it's been in for about 18 months and our UCL is pretty much the only light we use in the kitchen.

    • DIY2Much2Do
      hace 6 años

      I got everything for a DIY under-cabinet lighting install from Environmental Lights. The prices were very reasonable, and they helped with product selection, layout and installation via email. The specific product I used was these Low-profile LED Strips. No affiliation, just a pleased customer.

    • Jade BR
      hace 6 años

      Just went through this... I went to a light store looked at their options and then looked at build.com for better price.

      mine is hardwired and I got this brand:

      https://www.build.com/wac-lighting-led-t24w-5-under-cabinet-light/s583154?uid=1920844&uid=1920844&source=trm_TrackingNumber


      it can be cut each 2".


      plus one transformer and some accessories to connect it all, including the stripes to the wires on the wall:


      https://www.build.com/wac-lighting-led-tc-ext-144-under-cabinet-light/s905114?uid=3026325&uid=3026325&source=trm_TrackingNumber



      https://www.build.com/wac-lighting-led-tc-y-under-cabinet-light/s584823?uid=1032622&uid=1032622&source=trm_TrackingNumber



      https://www.build.com/wac-lighting-en-2460-rb2-t/s498796?uid=1032571&uid=1032571&source=trm_TrackingNumber






    • PRO
      Kirkarch
      Autor original
      hace 6 años

      Thank you to everyone who responded. This really helps me to understand the systems that are out there. It appears that I want a low-voltage system since those are the smallest types of lighting available. I do have a question for those of you who responded about the transformers you used. Did you have to buy a transformer for each run of under cabinet lighting and if so - where did you place the transformers? Or - was your electrician able to locate a larger transformer in a remote location? I have several separate cabinets that are separated by a window or a range hood that might get cost prohibitive if I need to buy a transformer for each one of those cabinets.

    • sheloveslayouts
      hace 6 años

      I think our counter attack has transformers built into the light unit. That's why husband chose them. We had separate transformers in our last kitchen and we wanted something different this time around.

    • DIY2Much2Do
      hace 6 años

      You should be able to use one transformer for multiple lights. I have the transformer in an upper cabinet over the microwave. This was my install diagram.

    • rych
      hace 6 años

      I was and still am clueless about undercabinet lighting. I was gonna get some kichler led ucl, but my GC told me he only uses Ambiance undercabinet lights. He made it sound like it is the Cadillac of all dimmable UCL, he sure is charging me like it is thou. I didn't even know it was a brand, I thought he was talking how the UCL could act like ambiance lighting. The electrician just installed some 24V wiring the other day, so I guess they are low voltage, and from my google-fu, it looks like Sea Gull is the maker and they are in closeout, oh great! http://www.seagulllightinglights.com/collection/seagull-lighting-ambiance-self-contained-24v-dc-led-collection.html

    • freeoscar
      hace 6 años

      I used inspiredled.com (you'll find them responding to some posts here on gardenweb). They sold me the transformer as well as the LED strips. I sent over the diagram of my kitchen and told them where I wanted the lights and they sent over their recommendation. I have a lighting system (Lutron RadioRa2), and they helped confirm the type of switch which would be compatible with their transformer. The whole process was quite smooth and the cost was pretty reasonable. We don't have much UCL (3 strips totalling around 10 ft or so) and it was around $150 for the strips + transformer. My electrician had never used them before but found the whole thing rather simple.

    • joshuasamah
      hace 6 años

      Jade I was advised not to use the LED tape lights because when on the lights create "spots" of light reflecting on the countertop rather than a diffuse light. Have you noticed this in your kitchen? Thanks

    • PRO
      Kirkarch
      Autor original
      hace 6 años

      Joshuasamah - what did you use instead of the tape?

    • joshuasamah
      hace 6 años

      Haven't put in anything yet. My kitchen cabinets aren't fully installed yet due to waiting on replacements for damaged cabinets. We plan on hardwiring

    • PRO
      Anglophilia
      hace 6 años
      Última modificación: hace 6 años

      I have under cabinet light bars, each with it's own on/off switch. I much prefer this as I rarely need them all on at once. This lets me have counter light where and when I need it. I also have multiple pot lights in the ceiling but don't even have to use them all that often. No transformers - just the light bars. I think mine were about $100+- each. Well worth the money. I originally put them in 14 years ago and reused them in my total kitchen remodel last year. All still work perfectly! I prefer Xenon light bulbs - brighter and clearer light. My fixtures have a high/low feature as well. Each strip has two bulbs.

    • Ann
      hace 6 años

      this is the under cabinet lighting we went with. We found it at affordablequalitylighting.com. It doesn't create the pinpoints of light and has a very thin profile.

    • PRO
      Kirkarch
      Autor original
      hace 6 años

      Ann - those are very nice and very low profile light bars. Where did you hide the transformers for them?

    • Ann
      hace 6 años

      The transformer is hidden in a lower cabinet.

    • islandgarden
      hace 6 años

      INot to complicate matters, but here are things to decide on to narrow your choices:

      1. Colour temperature: most people suggest 2700K or 3000K for kitchens. The lower the number the warmer/yellower the light. Choose that first because brands do not come in all available LED colour temperatures

      2. CRI or colour rendering index. The higher the number, the truer the colours appear. A few years ago 80 was good, now you can easily get 90. 90+ is generally what you want

      3. Bare LED strips vs diffuser on top. The bare strips are generally cheaper but there are a few drawbacks: they generally attach with adhesive which is said to come off after a time (there are work arounds), you might be bothered by the little dots of light you will see even on a honed countertop, you may have a hard time cleaning pasta sauce off the bare tape.

      4. Hardwired vs "plug and play"--still not sure which is "better". In new construction, I'm told that hardwired is the way to go, but others mention that replacing them in future is easier with plug in options. Wise Houzzers please weigh in.

      5. Size--depends on the lip on the upper cabinets, how high your upper cabinets are from the counter and where your seating area is. Most people do not want the undercabinet lights to be visible

      6. Dimmable--some are, some are not, and some just have a toggle from lower light to higher light. It makes sense to me to get dimmable

      7. How bright? the way to tell is to compare the "lumens per foot" so that you are comparing apples to apples. 125 lumens per foot was bright a few years ago, now there are led strips that are 2-3X that. The higher the lumens, the more it makes sense to get a dimmer!

      8. 12V vs 24V--if you are running a lot of UCL esp if higher wattage, you can experience a voltage drop with 12V and may need 24V.

      If you decide to get the UCL with diffusers, there are a number of options including those mentioned above (EnviromentalLights, Inspiredled, etc).

      Also worth looking at are those from Lithonia, GM Lighting and Nora--links below.


      Lithonia Rayzer

      http://www.beeslighting.com/product-p/raz24-m6.htm


      Nora NULB:

      http://www.beeslighting.com/product-p/nulb-824led930a.htm


      GM Lighting LARC6 (CRI is 80):

      http://www.beeslighting.com/product-p/larc6-24-ww-w.htm?CartID=2


      I think I prefer the ones with diffusers aesthetically but they are more costly.

      Unfortunately I have not come across reliable, well conducted third party reviews. It would be great to get feedback from those who have installed UCL recently on any of these brands and their recent products.



    • PRO
      Kirkarch
      Autor original
      hace 6 años

      Thank you everyone who responded to my UCL question. Taking into consideration all of your comments and searching the internet I chose these 24v LED UCL Luxbar lights: https://d114hh0cykhyb0.cloudfront.net/pdfs/Luxbar_spec_sheet.pdf

      I purchased them in the warm white color 2800K and bought a combination of 12", 24" and 36"' bars that fit my kitchen. I have about 11 feet of UCL lighting on 2 separate runs which required 2 transformers. I chose this particular system primarily because of cost and positive reviews. My electrician will be installing them this week so I will report back after they are installed.

    • MaWizz
      hace 6 años

      Kikarch how did your undercabinet lighting turn out? Would love to hear how you like the Luxbar lights and please share pics! :)

    • PRO
      Kirkarch
      Autor original
      hace 6 años

      I love the Luxbar lights! The quality of the light is perfect and we actually use the lights as task lighting rather than accent lighting. We placed the bars toward the front of the upper cabinets so it lights up more of the countertop area. I chose the warm 2800K lights which is a nice warm color. I also did not pay extra for the dimmer transformer because I didn't feel that I needed to dim the under cabinet lights.

      My electrician was able to locate the transformer in our basement near our electrical panel so I didn't have to worry about finding a place for it in a cabinet. My electrician also used these white plastic covers to hide the cords which worked out nicely.

      I priced out a lot of different lights and components and found that the Luxbar were the best value for my needs and kitchen layout. I ordered mine through SuperBrightLeds. One of the bars I ordered was not working properly and the company replaced it for me very quickly. I also spoke with them over the phone before ordering and they helped me select the correct mounting clips, transformers and connection cords that I needed.

      Here are a few photos of what the lights look like and how they were installed. I'll add another photo of what they look at night.

    • islandgarden
      hace 6 años

      Nice! what is the CRI of those lights? and the lumens/foot they put out?

    • 3katz4me
      hace 6 años
      Última modificación: hace 6 años

      Just weighing in on this for anyone else who might be late to the party who is looking for UCL. I recently had new UCL lighting installed to replace some nasty old fluorescent strips. Since I'm not DIY I just asked my excellent electrician what he recommended. This is what he installed - Noble Pro LED Line Voltage Task Lighting - NLLP Series. Not cheap but of course much less expensive for someone who can DIY. There is no separate transformer, the light color is adjustable, there is a high low option though I have mine on a dimmer, very low profile and the light is perfect - no reflection of any LED bulbs, etc. I loved the UC xenon fixtures we put in our kitchen in our previous house and at that time the LEDs were not good. These however are perfect. great under cabinet lighting

    • MaWizz
      hace 6 años
      Última modificación: hace 6 años

      Thanks so much for the info and pics Kirkarch looks great! And beautiful kitchen! My electrician just wired my kitchen for UCL's and I thought I was going to use the ribbon leds in a channel with a diffusor similar to what you have but was surprised to see that the little light dots still show on counter quite a bit. I don't see that with yours? In a panic I ran to Lowes and Home Depot to see some other off the shelf options. I actually found I really like the continuous uniform light from the led bars. They have the perfect amount of light and the color temp matches my ceiling cans perfectly which I really wanted. Did you consider using those? They are linkable and can be hardwired or plugged in to a hidden outlet. Is there a better way to go with that? They are expensive but I think will pay for themselves in the long run as I use UCL a ton! Also, My electrician has it set up to be controlled on one dimmable Lutron wall switch that seems fine? I know you spent time researching. I would love your or anyone's opinion of the led light bars.

      Kirkarch agradeció a MaWizz
    • PRO
      Kirkarch
      Autor original
      hace 6 años

      thank you Mawizz! I did look at HD and Lowes but at the time I was looking they didn't have anything that was hardwired that had a very slim profile. I wanted lights that were as small as possible without using the LED tape. My electrician was going to install fairly basic LED bars from the box stores but they would have stuck out below the cabinet bottom by a little more than 1/8" which was too much for me. The uc lights that I used do not leave little dots on the counter top at all - it is a very even light.

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