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Under counter lighting?

///M3lissa

///M3lissa

///M Biatch!
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Jun 15, 2006
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I am about to start a kitchen remodel and wanted to see if folks have any recommendations or information on under counter lighting? I've been poking around about online trying to educate myself, but it's slow going :dunno

It will be hard wired in. I am thinking on a dimmer, but I suppose that's open for discussion.

My partner insists that halogen will produce the best light (he especially likes the "puck" type lights). I am concerned about the heat generation with halogen. Is there a standard on how far apart the "pucks" should be spaced?

It seems easier to find LED bars, but the downside is, the bulbs can't be replaced. Probably not an issue since I don't plan on staying in this house a long time.
 
LED bulbs aren't replaceable cuz they don't burn out... like ever

halogens put out a bunch of UV in addition to the heat.
 
Definitely LED.

We swapped out our hired wired fluorescent about a year ago to dimmable LED.

The light is not as harsh as halogen, uses less electricity and the bulbs should last for decades.

And did I mention that unlike fluorescent, (which I know you're not considering), the dimmable nature is a great thing.

We have halogen sconces in our kitchen as well but rarely use them.

Harsh light, uses 5 times the electricity as comparable LED.
 
///M3lissa said:
..My partner insists that halogen will produce the best light (he especially likes the "puck" type lights). I am concerned about the heat generation with halogen. Is there a standard on how far apart the "pucks" should be spaced?
Click to expand...
We had the pucks in our last house. Great, intense light. But they produce a lot of heat, the bulbs were expensive and you couldn't get them just anywhere.

I installed them roughly 4 feet apart from each other, basically centered on each cabinet or so. I don't think there's really a standard on spacing, just whatever your needs are.

If I was to do it again, LED all the way.
 
insyder said:
We had the pucks in our last house. Great, intense light. But they produce a lot of heat, the bulbs were expensive and you couldn't get them just anywhere.

I installed them roughly 4 feet apart from each other, basically centered on each cabinet or so. I don't think there's really a standard on spacing, just whatever your needs are.

If I was to do it again, LED all the way.
Click to expand...

Thank you. I was wondering about the bulbs. The heat generation seems like a big concern, especially considering I live someplace that is already too hot 4 - 5 months out of the year.
 
I just watched the most recent episode of This Old House last night and they were installing under cab LED strips. Boasted no heat generation and 30,000 hours of life. Needs a transformer to go from 120v to 24v, but they were dimable. They also used a diffuser to soften the light. Looked legit.
 
I used a bunch of LED strip lights that just had an adhesive backing-real easy to install and wire to a basic plug in transformer.

Inexpensive, as well-I can dig up the links I used if you want-don't buy them retail-the $70 Home Depot wanted were $14 online.
 
I work in the lighting industry.

Lost of choices out there, but the best value proposition I've found of late comes from the guys at GM Lighting - see your local electrical distributor - if they can't order these for you, find another electrical distributor !


http://www.gmlighting.net/products/24v-dimmable-led-undercabinet
 
Typical undercounter halogens will be 10-25 watts, the equivalent of a very very small electric heater if you have several. It's negligible. (I did lighting installations and the AC/Heat calculations for years. In a large display area with hundreds of incandescent and or halogen bulbs, the heat is a serious consideration and AC plants are sized accordingly, also heating). Everyone has their own taste. I used to install slimline fluorescents, but honestly both the fluors and halogens are now obsolete tech. The advantage of the halogen pucks is the ease of installation, but you have to be careful about heat that escapes UP damaging things. Go with a good LED, you won't regret it. The colors you can get now are amazing.

Don't hesitate to go to a store like City Lights or Mars Lighting in SF and check out their products. If you go to Mars, say hello to Mike and tell him you know me. He will work too find a good product that meets your needs.
 
Skip Ikea - that stuff is needlessly expensive. Get these - they're way cheaper. If you're handy with a soldering iron, you can cut them into segments to make them go around corners or skip over things like dish washers. They're self adhesive, but I'd consider using something like staples to make the attachment a little more permanent.

81yPiRNnZxL._SL1500_.jpg


http://www.amazon.com/HitLights-White-SMD3528-Light-Strip/dp/B005GL5UG2/ref=pd_bxgy_MI_img_z

http://www.amazon.com/HitLights-Listed-Watt-Power-Supply/dp/B007ME2HMQ/ref=pd_bxgy_MI_img_y

http://www.amazon.com/HitLights-Lig...sim_hi_25?ie=UTF8&refRID=1EPPGKG68VF27X734P7R
 
I am also looking to do under cabinet lighting. I recently went to a house that had the LED type (like above) and never knew I had that option. They were connected to a dimmer and seemed very versatile. I thought pucks were the only real way. This house also had them installed inside a cabinet which had a glass pane cabinet door. Looked fancy.
 
Please people we are talking about under cabinet lighting not under counter.

I have always preferred Xenon fixtures because of the nice color rendering and penetrating abilities over granite, really brings out the sparkle. I have used NSL extensively however there are other mfg's.

I am just starting to use LED because it has become real popular and people want it. The color rendering is getting better and you get lottsa light with a small footprint. I have done a couple jobs with Diode Led (Blazer) and am impressed with ease of installation. Blazer is a stick on strip which is cheaper than fixtures but might...will unstick itself over time.

If you got the money use the fixtures. You can buy Diode Led at CME lighting in Concord, and see it displayed also. :thumbup
 
About seven years ago I installed the Kichler Modular LED collection cabinet lighting and have been quite happy with it. Has a three position dimmer + off.

I like the look of the GM lighting in hawaiirider's post above and if I was going to do it again, I would certainly look at that brand. The Kichler has been a good product thus far, but the GM product appears to have a smaller footprint.
 
Kichler is high quality, excellent stuff. The price will reflect that but if you want/need the best....go for it. :)
 
rydmohr said:
Please people we are talking about under cabinet lighting not under counter.

I have always preferred Xenon fixtures because of the nice color rendering and penetrating abilities over granite, really brings out the sparkle. I have used NSL extensively however there are other mfg's.
Click to expand...

Huh? If you install lights OVER a counter, it's under cabinet. If you install under counter, it's lighting for in a cabinet under the countertop.
 
Thank you for all the replies. After visiting a local lighting store and seeing a side by side comparison of the Xenon and LED, I am now leaning more towards Xenon since I am going with warm tones in my kitchen. rydmohr, thanks for the point about bringing out the colors in the granite. The LED light wasn't as nice a quality. Given the price difference I may just go with the Xenon. The brand the local lighting store stocks is Maxim.
 
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