For Pros: Under Cabinet Lighting Buying Guide

For Pros: Under Cabinet Lighting Buying Guide

Let the items you showcase on your bookshelves, entertainment center, or kitchen countertops shine when you update your cabinets and shelves with under cabinet lighting. These small but powerful lighting options come in a variety of different styles, making it easy to refresh the look of a dark bookshelf or showcase architectural elements in your kitchen. 

Benefits of Under Cabinet Lighting

Under cabinet lighting may seem like a simple addition, but it does offer an array of benefits, such as: 

•Lower Energy Costs: When you have LED lights shining down on your countertops, you can cut down on energy costs by turning off your overhead lighting. The under cabinet lighting provides plenty of light to prep meals. 

•Fewer Shadows: When you use under cabinet lighting, you can say goodbye to the dark shadows between your overhead cabinets and your countertops. 

•Versatility: Under cabinet lighting isn't just a great choice for use under cabinets. It can be added to the top of cabinets, as well, casting light on the ceiling and illuminating any decorative accents on top of your cabinets. 

•Easy Installation: These kitchen add-ons are designed with ease of installation in mind, making them a fast addition that provides incredible functionality.

Types of Under Cabinet Lighting

When it comes to under cabinet lighting, there are many different styles to choose from. Understanding the benefits and drawbacks of each type will help you determine which one makes the best choice for your room. 

Light Bars

These linear bars mount directly under a cabinet or shelf and provide a long, slender light bulb. 

Under cabinet light bars provide a sleek, sophisticated look and come in colors designed to blend in with the finish of your cabinets.

Puck Lights

Puck lights are small, round lights roughly the size of a hockey puck, which is how they get their name. Often, these puck lights have a double-sided adhesive backing that makes them easy to stick wherever you want add light. When purchasing puck lights, consider that you'll need one puck light for every 8 to 12 inches of cabinetry. This ensures even light distribution. Puck lights can also be used on the top of your upper cabinets to illuminate decorative accents. 

Tape Lights

LED tape lighting is a flatter version of rope lights and make a great option when you want to illuminate the underside area of a cabinet or shelf without it being visible. Tape lights feature a linear arrangement of small lights on a strip. Tape lights are easy to apply and virtually disappear from view. 

Considerations in Choosing Under Cabinet Lighting 

As you start to browse all the available options in under cabinet lighting, stop to take a few key factors and features of the design into consideration, such as: 

Function

How you plan to use under cabinet lighting will influence the type of light you choose. If you're using the light for the ambiance alone, you can opt for something softer. If the lighting provides task lighting for a workspace, you'll need something brighter.

Placement 

The placement of the under cabinet lighting will help determine which installation type will be the best. A bar light will be more visible than a tape light, for example.

Power Source

The under cabinet lighting you select needs to get its power from somewhere. There are three primary types of power sources.  

•Plug-In: These lights feature a cord and a plug that goes into a standard outlet. They can make a great choice when you're adding lighting to existing cabinets because there's no need to call in an electrician for the installation. 

•Direct Wire: These lights are designed to hardwire into your electric system, and they will need to be installed by a professional electrician. They are ideal when you're remodeling a kitchen or building a kitchen from scratch. 

•Battery-Operated: When you don't want to call in an electrician, but you also want to avoid the look of cords, opt for battery-operated lights.  

Bulb Type  

Finally, consider what type of bulb is used in the bar, puck light, or tape light you've selected. 

• LED: The most popular choice is LED under cabinet lights because not only are they very compact in design, but they're also incredibly long-lasting and energy-efficient. One of the best things about choosing LED under cabinet lighting is that they emit very little heat when they are turned on and come in both warm and cool color tones. They are also typically the most expensive of the options. 
• Fluorescent: Fluorescent lights are the most affordable of all the options but don't last as long as LED lights. 
• Xenon: Xenon bulbs provide a nice mid-way point between LED and fluorescent. Unfortunately, they do use more energy than both of those options.

Special Features

Sometimes, it's the smallest details that help make the final choice in selecting your under-cabinet lighting. Color-changing options or remote control and app control capabilities are just a few of the special features to look for as you shop.  

With so many different types of under cabinet lighting available, it's easy to discover ones that you'll use in every room of the home. As you make your final selections, consider the color produced by the light. Blue-toned lights prove a white brightness, while yellow-toned lights provide a sophisticated warmth. Look around at the existing lights in the space and see which light color will make the most cohesive addition. Some of the designs even allow you to switch between multiple light colors.