If there is one area in your home where you need excellent lighting, it is in your kitchen. Without proper kitchen lighting, many cooking and baking tasks become more of a gamble.
Are those cookies golden-brown or still pale and underdone? Is that salad looking a little wilted? It’s hard to tell without effective lighting, especially if your cabinets block most of the light from reaching your prep counters.
But you don’t have to just make do with subpar lighting. Your local residential electricians are here to talk about your cabinet lighting options so that you can choose the best option to light up your kitchen.
TYPES OF KITCHEN CABINET LED LIGHTING
There are four standard types of kitchen cabinet LED lighting that you can choose from. Which of these light fixtures work best for your kitchen needs will depend on what you are looking to light, and it may turn out that you want to use a combination of light fixtures.
Fixtures
The standard under cabinet light fixture looks like a handheld fluorescent light fixtures. Generally, these fixtures are screwed into the bottom of your cabinet and plugged into the wall.
This type of cabinet lighting is the bulkiest, so if you don’t have deep cabinet pockets, the fixture may stick out a bit unattractively.
Light Bars
A slimmed-down version of the fixture, an LED light bar consists of a fixture that is barely larger than the LED lights it encases. These fixtures come in plug-in variation, though when they are installed in kitchens, most homeowners opt for hardwired light bars to hide the wires.
As these lights slim, they can be easily tucked under a kitchen cabinet and unobtrusively provide bright, even lighting.
Puck Lights
For small spotlights in your kitchen, puck lights are perfect. Usually no bigger than 1 ½ to 2 inches in diameter, puck lights can be easily placed in areas of your kitchen where the light is lacking, like under the corner kitchen cabinets.
These lights come in several variations such as battery-operated, plug-in, and hardwire. In our opinion, the other two types are best for renters as they are portable. For homeowners, hardwired puck lights provide a more finished look.
Rope Lights
Often seen for floor lighting for home theaters, rope lights—along with tape lights—can make excellent kitchen cabinet lights. The LED variant adds a good deal of light to your kitchen while remaining discreet.
Whether you choose rope or tape lights, you can find them in battery-operated, plug-in, and hardwired. But, like with the puck lights, hardwired rope lights will look the best in your dream kitchen.
No matter which of these types of lighting you want to have installed, our lighting services can help you.
PLACES TO ADD CABINET LIGHTING
Now, we have been talking about cabinet lighting like the only place to install these lights is under your kitchen cabinetry. However, you can get pretty inventive with your cabinet lighting!
Here are some ideas to help kickstart your creative kitchen design process.
If there is one area in your home where you need excellent lighting, it is in your kitchen. Without the proper kitchen lighting, many cooking and baking tasks become more of a gamble.
Are those cookies golden-brown or still pale and underdone? Is that salad looking a little wilted? It’s hard to tell without effective lighting, especially if your cabinets block most of the light from reaching your prep counters.
But you don’t have to just make do with subpar lighting. Your local residential electricians are here to talk about your cabinet lighting options so that you can choose the best option to light up your kitchen.
TYPES OF KITCHEN CABINET LED LIGHTING
There are four standard types of kitchen cabinet LED lighting that you can choose from. Which of these light fixtures work best for your kitchen needs will depend on what you are looking to light, and it may turn out that you want to use a combination of light fixtures.
Fixtures
The standard under cabinet light fixture looks like a handheld fluorescent light fixtures. Generally, these fixtures are screwed into the bottom of your cabinet and plugged into the wall.
This type of cabinet lighting is the bulkiest, so if you don’t have deep cabinet pockets, the fixture may stick out a bit unattractively.
Light Bars
A slimmed-down version of the fixture, an LED light bar consists of a fixture that is barely larger than the LED lights it encases. These fixtures come in plug-in variation, though when they are installed in kitchens, most homeowners opt for hardwired light bars to hide the wires.
As these lights slim, they can be easily tucked under a kitchen cabinet and unobtrusively provide bright, even lighting.
Puck Lights
For small spotlights in your kitchen, puck lights are perfect. Usually no bigger than 1 ½ to 2 inches in diameter, puck lights can be easily placed in areas of your kitchen where the light is lacking, like under the corner kitchen cabinets.
These lights come in several variations such as battery-operated, plug-in, and hardwire. In our opinion, the other two types are best for renters as they are portable. For homeowners, hardwired puck lights provide a more finished look.
Rope Lights
Often seen for floor lighting for home theaters, rope lights—along with tape lights—can make excellent kitchen cabinet lights. The LED variant adds a good deal of light to your kitchen while remaining discreet.
Whether you choose rope or tape lights, you can find them in battery-operated, plug-in, and hardwired. But, like with the puck lights, hardwired rope lights will look the best in your dream kitchen.
No matter which of these types of lighting you want to have installed, our lighting services can help you.
PLACES TO ADD CABINET LIGHTING
Now, we have been talking about cabinet lighting like the only place to install these lights is under your kitchen cabinetry. However, you can get pretty inventive with your cabinet lighting!
Here are some ideas to help kickstart your creative kitchen design process.
If you have fairly shallow cabinets with no lip to conceal your under cabinet lights, then you can lean into it and make your lighting a design choice.
Since hardwire puck lights come in multiple shapes with attractive flanges, you can choose the lights that fit your kitchen aesthetic best.
Kickboard Lights
Ever sweep the kitchen floor only to discover sneaky crumbs right after you finished? Not only can this attract pests, but it can also be irritating.
Rather than leave dark pockets for spilled food, you can have rope lights installed around the kickboards of your kitchen cabinets.
Above Cabinet Lights
If you have cabinets that don’t touch the ceiling of your kitchen, you can maximize the space with above cabinet lighting and decorative displays. Even if you choose to leave the area empty, having lighting above your cabinets can help make your kitchen look more spacious.
In-Cupboard Lighting
Sometimes, it’s hard to see exactly what’s in your cupboards and cabinets, especially if you have deep cabinets. If you opt to install puck lights (best for odd-shaped corner cabinets) or rope lights (highlight standard cabinet interiors), you can significantly improve your visibility.
LET HEDGEHOG ELECTRIC UPDATE YOUR CABINET LIGHTING
No matter what kind of kitchen cabinet lighting you are interested in, HedgeHog Electric can help install it with minimal fuss. That way, you don’t have to deal with dangling cords and plug-in light taking up space in your kitchen outlets. Also, if you opt for hardwired cabinet LED lights, they will be wired to a switch for you to easily control.
For professional help with your cabinet lighting, feel free to contact us. Our electricians can consult with you and help you build out your dream kitchen.
