Under Cabinet LED Lighting

[ElectricianJeff]

Doing my first LED undercabinet lighting job middle of next week. I have done tons of puck lights but this is new to me. They are LED strips of various lengths. Customer has already purchased evrything and it looks like I will have what I need.

I always locate a puck light 3.5" back from the inside lip of the top cabinet by clamping a 2" x4". What depth works best for these lights? Any tips from the Pros that do these all the time would be helpful.

Thanks

 

[kwired]

Doing my first LED undercabinet lighting job middle of next week. I have done tons of puck lights but this is new to me. They are LED strips of various lengths. Customer has already purchased evrything and it looks like I will have what I need.

I always locate a puck light 3.5" back from the inside lip of the top cabinet by clamping a 2" x4". What depth works best for these lights? Any tips from the Pros that do these all the time would be helpful.

Thanks

For best appearance I always put them as far forward as practical. You don't want to be able to see the strips or accessories, you just want light coming from under the cabinet.

 

[darekelec]

I installed miles of them on hi end res and the nicest they look when carpenter carves 3/4" wide notch to recess the strip so it is flush with surface. You could install fake boards with notch under cabinets what also helps to hide wires.
be aware that some people do not like little dots (led elements) reflecting on shiny surfaces like marble countertop or backsplash.

 

[PetrosA]

If they're for general task lighting, keep them as forward as possible. Front edge places your light source near the center of the countertop, but with the shallow depth of LED tape, it's better to keep it back an inch or so with US style cabinets so you don't end up with a shadow line along the front edge of the counter. If the cabinets are flat bottomed (European style cabinets) then you'll need a groove or light rail installed to hide the LEDs. If they're standard type US design, the 3/4" (or more) recess will be enough to hide the strip and your connectors.

If there is a stone backsplash or some other material with a deep texture, you may want to move the LEDs back to wash the surface and bring out the texture. Ideally, you'd have two rows of lights - one front for task light and one back against the wall to bring out your highlights.

If the LED reflections bother the customer you can get channel and opaque covers for the LED strips, but you'll need to know this ahead of time. It may be worth setting up a demo bar with the LEDs temporarily attached and powered up so your customer can get an idea of what it's going to look like. The effect is worse on dark, polished surfaces where you get more contrast between the LEDs and the counter. White or unpolished counters would show this the least.

 

[ElectricianJeff]

Thanks everyone for the input. I ended up putting them back 1.5" from the front lip to prevent the shadowing effect as mentioned.

Counter top not in yet and I have no idea what it looks like. People are a little on the picky side so it will be interesting if I hear back from the lighting supplier that recommended me for the install.

Thanks again.....