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How to Install Under
Cabinet Lighting
A beautiful kitchen can be the single architectural element that
sells one home over another, but that doesn’t mean there is such
a thing as the perfect kitchen. More often than not, kitchens
which appear to employ beautiful materials and fixtures are
missing something – proper ventilation, perhaps, or upgraded gas
lines. One of the most common oversights is under cabinet
lighting, and with good reason – most homes are shown during the
day, when sunlight does an exceptional job of filling in the
edges of the room. Try cooking at night, however, and you are
bound to run into the problem of harsh shadows that render much
of your counter space unusable. |
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Under cabinet lighting
was devised to combat this problem in a simple and organic fashion,
by making obstacles such as cabinets into light sources of their
own. The advantages go beyond aesthetic value to include such
essential items as cooking safety and home security. Keep the entire
room well illuminated and you greatly reduce the chances of cutting
yourself while slicing and dicing. Leave such lights on a low burn
in the evenings and you can be sure no opportunistic criminal will
find shadows in which to lurk as he compromises doorways or windows.
The most important part of installation may be choosing the kind of
under cabinet lighting you need. Fluorescents do an adequate job of
chasing shadows away, though a number of cooks complain about their
tendency to poorly represent colors in the foods you prepare.
Purists have even complained that fluorescents pose a hazard because
they impair our ability to tell if meat and poultry are fresh. They
remain popular regardless because of their low cost, but if you find
such arguments compelling, it may be time to look for a halogen
setup. Halogens are widely favored for their full-spectrum light and
versatility, offering chefs and smackers alike a sunnier view in the
evening hours.
Installing under cabinet lighting is not terribly complicated, but
that doesn’t mean you should enter into the process casually. By far
the easier option for installation is to go with plug-in units that
require no original wiring of their own. The advantage to this
approach is that you can save considerable money on electrician’s
bills and the accompanying demolition required to lead wires through
the walls. The disadvantage, of course, is that having power cords
snaking across your countertop can be unsightly and even dangerous,
particularly in areas prone to frequent spills and splashes.
It is for this reason that so-called hard-wired under cabinet
lighting is widely considered the more popular choice. The good news
is that installations such as this can be done in the space of an
afternoon if you have the proper tools. Generally they simply
require locating a power source or junction box in the wall and
leading wires from there to your lighting – not simple, but hardly
brain surgery either. If you have cut the power first and understand
how to attach a cable clamp, you can usually have everything up and
running within a matter of minutes. Just remember to always splice
the wires like-to-like, starting with the white and following with
black and green.
Securing that lighting fixture to the cabinet is probably the
easiest part of the job. Most under cabinet lighting comes in kits
that will include everything you need to fasten them effectively. If
necessary, you may want to check for reinforced areas of the wall to
anchor a particularly heavy unit, though most such devices are
exceedingly light. Use new screws and be sure to measure the outline
before you install, particularly for cabinets that may have warped
with age. If the fit is snug and the lights appear well aligned, you
can turn the power back on.
Many homeowners prefer to finish the process with dimmers or timers
as well – simple ways to maintain more complete control over your
home’s look and security. If you are a fan of green living, you may
also want to look into traditional sockets that can house compact
fluorescent lights – for many, small changes such as these may
represent a significant change in habit. |
