With the under-cabinet LED lighting kit, you can illuminate dark nooks and crannies in your kitchen, workplace, and other areas. These lights may be utilized beneath kitchen cabinets, on bookshelves, in curio cabinets, and in other areas to give an accent.
Kitchen under-cabinet lighting makes your kitchen more functional. While spectacular pendants and chandeliers are eye-catching, smart under-cabinet lighting gets the job done quietly.
Installing LED under-cabinet lighting may be a simple DIY job or a professional installation, depending on the aesthetic you want to achieve. We’ll go through the many choices and give you some tips on choosing the appropriate light bulbs for you’re under cabinet lighting.
Types of Under-Cabinet LightingÂ
#1. DIY Plug-In Lights
Choose the most straightforward choice if you need to install under-cabinet lights right away. It’s easy to learn how to install under-cabinet lights. A plug-in fixture is a kind of light fixture that connects to the bottom of a cabinet or shelf and plugs into any adjacent electrical socket.
One plug-in LED under-cabinet lighting option is tape or rope lights. The tiny LED lights within these transparent plastic tubes create a gentle glow.
#2. Mounted Strip Lights
Choose a fluorescent strip, a track light with halogen bulbs, or puck lights with halogen bulbs for more serious under-counter illumination. These wireless under-cabinet lighting options are surface-mounted, simple to install, and touch-operated disks.
The lights are battery-operated and produce brilliant illumination in a variety of wattages. However, while installing under-cabinet lighting, keep in mind that high-wattage halogen lights emit a lot of heat and should not be placed near anything combustible.
#3. Professionally Hard-Wired Lights
Consider hard-wired light fixtures, which are almost undetectable once fitted, for a seamless appearance. Recessed puck lights are low-profile lights that must be placed directly into shelves and need cabinet changes if not done during a new house building or a kitchen renovation.
These and other hard-wired versions, which require tap into a power source or have a new circuit connected to the area, must be installed by a professional unless you have prior electrical expertise.
Custom-size under cabinet track lighting and slim-line strip lights are two more hard-wired choices. When installing hard-wired lights, keep the light switch in mind as well. Make sure the switch is in an easy-to-reach location.
Lightbulbs Come in a Variety of Shapes & Sizes
When selecting an under-cabinet light fixture, it’s critical to understand the different kinds of lightbulbs that each utilizes so you can choose the best under cabinet lighting.
- Traditional incandescent bulbs are the most cost-effective and provide bright, warm light. They have the lowest life expectancy and use the most energy.
- Although LED under-cabinet lighting is energy efficient and produces minimal heat, its light is not as natural as other choices. Their high cost is compensated by their extended lifespan.
- Halogen lights are energy-efficient, long-lasting, brilliant, and provide a natural yellow-white glow. Because they may generate a lot of heat, they’re best utilized with a dimmer.
- Xenon lights have a similar appearance to halogen lights, but they burn brighter and produce less heat. They are the most costly bulbs, yet they last the longest.
Fluorescent lights are energy-efficient, long-lasting, and produce little heat. The color of fluorescent lamps is a cool, greenish-blue.