8/20/14 7:48 AM

getting a new granite countertop, which necessitates tearing out the old laminate along with the tiled backsplash. taking the opportunity to add in under-cabinet lighting. we have 3 distinct sections of lighting. looking for any advice/guidance.

my thinking right now:
- LED strips @ +3K color temp
- direct wired & dimmable

questions:
- whats the deal w/ the transformers?
- what about in-wall switching vs. on-unit switching?

8/20/14 8:01 AM

Walter, we needed additional lighting in the kitchen our new place. Cabinets and all were already installed, so we (I mean our electrician we are no handymen) had to jury rig LED lighting strips under the cabinets. I think it came out well nice to have lighting in the dark corner of the counter. since we had to route through the cabinets we had additional lighting there with the LED's...no dimmer just an on/off switch. I can post pics when I get home if you would like

8/20/14 8:20 AM

we have 3 zones of lighting:
1. either side of stove - 2x19.5"
2. either side of sink - 2x22.5"
3. annex off to the side - 1x25.5"

zones 2 and 3 may be combined onto 1 switch.

and what about over-cabinet accent lighting?!

8/20/14 3:57 PM

I'd rethink the +3K color temperature LEDs. Most of us are used to incandescence at about 2700K and higher color temperatures look a bit abnormal. I have Cree LED bulbs in a lot of my home fixtures and their 2700K color and accurate spectrum are very "normal" looking.

8/20/14 4:08 PM

i find 2700 a little too yellow for my taste.

with a dimmer 3000-3500 is perfect, nice colors but not too harsh or white.

beyond that it does start to get strange.

8/20/14 7:38 PM

Why dimmer?

When I'm cooking, the last thing I think about is the "mood" of the lights. To me, kitchen lighting is all about function. You want to be able to see what you're cutting and mixing. That's all. If the fish is no longer fresh, I want to be able to tell from its look!

For example, the hood over my stove has two settings: bright and dim. Guess what? It's ALWAYS on bright!!!

I'm also not sure you actually NEED light on either side of stove. Whatever over the stove lighting you have probably "leak" enough light to the side for function.

Personally, I also like to have the area where the food is getting its final touch to be the same lighting as the dinning room. So that whatever I bring out to the dinning table look the same as when I put in the final arrangment.

8/20/14 7:58 PM

its more just to have that option to adjust and tune the light level.

we'll probably leave the level set to some level 90% of the time, but it's nice to have that dimming option.

8/21/14 6:44 AM

The only time I use undercabinet lighting is for accent lighting with the ceiling lights off. When I'm actually using the kitchen, the overhead lights are on and they are plenty bright enough for all my needs. My range hood light also gets almost no use.

When we have overnight guests, we leave the undercabinet lights on at night so they can find their way around the unfamiliar kitchen should they want to raid the frig at night. That's our most common usage.

Both undercabinet and range hood lights are good to have, but don't get used much. At least, not in our house.

8/21/14 6:57 AM

Walter what is your email addy?

8/21/14 7:34 AM

wamanning AT inbox DOT com

8/21/14 7:43 AM

A couple of years ago, I did an accent lighting project in my kitchen. LED all the way. No appreciable heat generated. Daisy-chained, about 14 units (each unit consumes about 4W of electricity), remote-controlled from a single outlet. Some pictures taken around 6am this morning, please excuse the mess:



A close-up, near my espresso setup:



From high up, because I have high ceilings, the accent lights are above cabinet level too:



At first, I did it temporarily using velcro, not wishing to drill holes, but it has been a year or two and I still haven't gotten around to drilling the holes to route the wiring inside the cabinets. I know it looks a bit messy but you don't really notice the wires unless you stick your head underneath. Basically, it all comes from this outlet. All units are daisy-chained. I put in a remote unit so I can control it from the laundry room when I return home:



Uses almost no electricity.

Sandiway