DIY Saturday #103 – How to Install Under Cabinet Lighting (Video)

Guest Blogger #572, Entry #1304, June 16, 2012

Happy DIY Saturday! Your kitchen is one of the most important rooms when it comes to excellent lighting. While it provides overall lighting for cooking and eating it also can provide task lighting to ensure you are safe while preparing, cooking, and serving food as well. Under cabinet lighting is an excellent way to ensure you have just the right amount light exactly where you need it.

Install under cabinet lighting for beauty and safety

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Do you know how to choose under counter lighting? Today, watch a video on choosing lighting for your kitchen. Then my Guest Blogger gives tips for choosing the right light and the considerations to think of when buying lighting.

Video – How to Install Under Cabinet Lighting

Guest Blogger – How to Choose Under Cabinet Lighting

Nowadays you will be able to peruse numerous sources of information that enable you to reach the decision concerning your future lighting fixtures for underneath the cabinets faster. However, it is fair to point out that the vast majority are designed to promote one type of products or another.

As potential customer, your goal is simple: purchase the lighting system that is right for you. Right, sounds simple enough, but where should you start? Well, the following article aims to take you on a tour of tips you need to consider in your quest for the perfect lighting fixture. Hopefully, by the time you finish reading, you will be armed with the knowledge required to dissociate between what sounds nice in theory and what you really need.

Take the color temperature of the room into account

First, let me explain what the color temperature actually is. Light emanated from the fixtures can be either yellow-tinted (in the 2700K and 3200K range), neutral white tinted (3200K and 3500K range) or cool white tinted (4000K to 5000K range). Now, in accordance to the dominant tones in the room, the color temperature of the lighting system placed underneath the cabinet can either enhance or downgrade their appearance.

My recommendations on this matter are as following:

• Rooms that are generously decorated using warm colors, have numerous furniture pieces made from hardwood or include appliances (E.G. backsplashes) crafted from copper benefit most from lighting sources with warm temperatures (up to 3500K)
•  Alternatively, for a room that contains decorative shelves or tiles made from transparent or see-through painted glass, cooler metal appliances (chrome, stainless steel, etc.) and similar looking tones it is advisable to opt for lighting fixtures in the 3500k-5000k range

To put it simply, you need to create a match between the light source and the overall color context in order to achieve the optimal lighting results. Let’s move on.

Choose the right lighting based on your home

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Mitigating the effect of furniture with glossy surfaces

There is no denying that a shiny, gloss coating appears exquisite and confers the room a certain glamour. However, the main issue with these surfaces comprises of the mirroring effects, because they have an innate tendency of reflecting light. The problem becomes even more visible in the case of lighting sources placed underneath countertops.

Fortunately, the solution is rather simple. Instead of selecting a fixture equipped exclusively with standard light bulbs, you can opt for a model that also includes lenses. Because the lens enables you to direct and/or concentrate the light, the reflection effect is drastically reduced.

How to deal with those pesky dark surfaces

Unlike their glossy counterparts, the dark surfaces will not reflect the light, but rather tend to absorb a high amount of it. In turn, this will dramatically reduce the effectiveness of the lighting fixture. To deal with this problem, my advice is to purchase a lighting source with a higher output. Even though the utility bill may go up slightly, you will have enough light to perform your daily routine without constantly bumping into furniture like a blind bat.

How to attain the optimal even light distribution

Without an even light distribution, certain parts of the room will seem to be in perpetual darkness while others will constantly emanate a blinding light. If you want a consistent light distribution for the fixtures you install underneath the cabinet, then you will need to place them towards its frontal side and direct their focus towards the backside. Not only will this approach work in creating light uniformity, but potential glare effects resulted from looking directly into the lighting source are also eliminated successfully.

Puck lights may be the right solution for your kitchen

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Plan for heat dissipation

While LED lights do not emanate the same amount of heat as the standard light bulbs, they do require some space around for this process. Otherwise, they are prone to premature fails and quality LEDs are not cheap to replace. In order to account for the fixture’s heat dissipation necessities, all you need to do is leave a bit of open space between it and the cabinet. The required space is just enough to permit a bit of airflow and ensure the LED does not overheat.

My name is Chad and my fantastic experience with different T5 lighting and other similar fixtures compels me to provide advice on the selection and maintenance process for these lighting wonders!

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