Kitchens need light. Lots of it. And having insufficient lighting can be the make-or-break factor in how functional your kitchen is. Luckily, undercabinet lighting can make a huge impact for a small investment.
Having cabinets that overhang counters offer a great use of space, but the downside is that they block light from fully reaching these areas throughout the day. Installing lights under your top cabinets can make these areas brighter and look more open and inviting. They are also amazing for cooking in the early morning or evening when there is not enough natural sunlight.
Types of Undercabinet Lighting
Having trouble seeing into the drawers in your kitchen to find that pesky ladle? Or are you unable to get the right amount of light on a tedious project you’re working on in the workshop? Undercabinet lights are a simple and elegant solution to these problems. Luckily there are several options to choose from for the perfect fit for your space.
Fluorescent Strips
These lights are made from thin fluorescent bulbs encased in a plastic housing. Fluorescent strips can be a bit bulky due to the size of the enclosures they are housed in. They provide an intense amount of light and thanks to modern day innovations, they lack the hum and flicker that older generations of fluorescent lights were known to have. These strips are typically installed right next to the wall underneath the cabinet to protect them from being bumped into. Fluorescent lights are the cheapest option but still cast ample lighting if you’re on a tighter budget. Fluorescent lights also have a long lifespan, so you won’t need to worry about replacing them too often. They are not as long lasting as LEDs, but will outlast incandescent bulbs 10 or 20 times over. Fluorescent bulbs run very cool and won’t have any chance of damaging your cabinets.
If you want a sleeker look, you can get slim versions of fluorescent strips that are easier on the eyes. The enclosures on these trimmer strips are less bulky and protrude less, making them a sleeker option if you want them to be more visible. The enclosures are also typically sturdier, so breaking them due to an accidental bump is less likely.
Round/Puck Lights
These puck-shaped lighting fixtures are an attractive way to add more lighting to your countertops. They are specifically designed to be aesthetically pleasing and long-lasting. They are typically more durable than fluorescent lights as well. Round lights offer a more natural white light compared to fluorescent, but might cast a glare due to their intensity. However, if you’re looking for something very bright and dramatic, round lights might fight the bill.
The bulbs found in these fixtures can be xenon, halogen, or LED. Xenon will run much hotter, so it’s good practice to ask how much heat different round lights will produce when choosing a product, as the lights will get hotter the longer they are turned on. Halogen has the same lifespan as a typical incandescent bulb, and xenon will last about three times longer than halogen. Some xenon and halogen lights will require a 12V transformer to operate, which can be bulky and hard to hide. LEDs last the longest and generate the least amount of heat while lasting the longest. However some are battery operated, eliminating the need for wiring entirely. With battery-operated lights you will have to replace the batteries when the old ones run out of juice. (This doesn’t happen too frequently however, as manufacturers have been making them with battery life in mind.)
Despite the fixtures themselves being an attractive choice, round lights will make pools of light, making it difficult to get an even spread across a longer counter or larger area. This pooling effect of round undercabinet lighting is personal preference, with some homeowners loving the look, and some not so much. So make sure to keep this in mind if you want an evenly lit area.
LED Lights
LEDs are becoming the gold standard for most lighting fixtures nowadays, thanks to their many benefits and few downsides. They come in any color you can think of, and can be controlled via a remote if you go with an LED string that includes an RGB controller. If you want something less flashy there are many natural hues that mimic natural light closely. Some smart home type options even come with a complimentary phone app that allows you to control the lights from your smart phone. Although more expensive, you can control almost every aspect of a smart home LED light such as lighting color, brightness, and automatically set when to turn on and what hue it will be at specific times of day. If you’re adding new light switches to your kitchen, you can also set up dimmer switches for LEDs without too much added cost.
LED Strips, Packs, Ropes, And Tapes
LED strips and packs closely resemble slim fluorescent fixtures but can sometimes be bulkier. The LEDs are housed within an enclosure, and since LEDs are so small, most enclosures are low profile. LEDs are the most advanced lighting you can find for your kitchen: they are the longest lasting lighting choice, can reproduce any color, and run very cool. They are also easy to wire and install. LED strips that come in an enclosure can sometimes require a transformer but transformer less options are available if you want to avoid any bulky parts.
One big perk of having LED packs and strips is that some models can be chained together to create a very even lighting source. Flexible lighting strips and tapes can be run any length and can go around corners if your kitchen design is less traditional. LED strings can be cut to length to prevent any unsightly bunching of extra material.
You can also purchase reels of LED lights if you want to create your own undercabinet lighting. There are kits available on the market that come with everything you need to assemble the perfect lighting solution without any previous electronics experience.
Lighting Temperatures
All these options will come in various color “temperatures” that determine the warmth of the light. These color options will range from 2700K to 6500K, with 6500K being the warmest while 2700K being the most blue hued and cold looking color. 3000K to 4000K is recommended for a kitchen since it won’t skew color perception too much to make food preparation difficult. This range has a neutral cast so it won’t cast anything in a particularly blue or yellow shade. Unless you need industrial strength lighting for a workshop, staying below 4000K is recommended to avoid a blueish, industrial glow.
You can never really have too much light in your kitchen. The above undercabinet lighting options will get you a head start on finding the perfect way to simultaneously make your kitchen more functional and beautiful.
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