WAC vs. Seagull vs. Kichler or what else - "best" LED UCL
lmgch
9 years ago
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lmgch
9 years agoRelated Discussions
leds vs. zenon undercabinet lighting?
Comments (7)We used halogen strip lights in our kitchen a few years ago and we love the warm glow. The heat is not too bad, but it is enough so that I can soften butter by placing it in the cabinet above the lights. Reflection is an issue with any lights above dark shiny granite. We minimized this by using the angled brackets suggested above by mcfreiz. We mounted the light strip above the bracket along the front edge of the cabinets and aimed the lights toward the backsplash. It doesn't eliminate all reflection, but it definitely helps so the lights are not "in your face". I never notice a reflection day-to-day unless I am intentionally looking for it. We won't replace our halogen light strips in the kitchen, but we are considering some LEDs strips for our upcoming bathroom remodel. I will check out the thread suggested by davidtay....See Morepolished vs honed and light vs dark granite/quartzite
Comments (38)I have honed dark granite right now and it stains like crazy esp anything remotely oily. Tried everything to seal it and nothing worked. It was in the house when we bought it and we are now remodeling the kitchen and it it will be gone. Replacing with polished Sea Pearl quartzite if the quote is right (fingers crossed). It's been a process because this kitchen has extremely high end (previous owner installed) cabinets with a high gloss finish in teal blue - gorgeous but challenging and way to expensive to replace. Very sleek and modern. Thanks to the oven forum we chose the Miele Master Chef oven (wanted that rotisserie) and warming drawer and after reading on the Refrigerator Forum we chose the Thermador Freedom Towers for the fridge and freezer. LOL we inquired about getting panels for them to match the cabinets and yikes, the cost was more than the appliances cost. So stainless fronts it is. Everyone here is so helpful - certainly appreciate this site and the forums....See MoreOutlet and UCL questions
Comments (53)Thanks! I ordered the Premium Modular UCL from environmentallights.com (link below). I found out today that my dimming solution didn't work. :: I do have an idea of what I could have done differently, but I haven't confirmed. And I think we'll not need them dimmed, so I'm okay with it. I wanted to buy the simplest solution. I wanted it plug and play. The power supplies that they recommend for that system are not dimmable. They have others that were, but I think they're for direct wire and we had outlets put in the cabinets. I got the touch dimmer for modular under cabinet lights. I was told it would work as I planned, but I don't fault them for it not. I probably didn't give all the variables. They dim with the touch switch great, but when you turn off the light switch that operates the outlets, it 'forgets' everything and they are turned off, so when you turn the light switch on nothing happens until you go hit the dimmers. I took them off for now. I actually don't think we'll need the dimmer. I'm just paranoid about over-lighting things. We had so little light in the kitchen before, I have no idea how this will all work for us. The recessed lights and pendants will be dimmable, I think that's enough. There's a switched outlet in the top right of this 42"h wall cabinet. The power supply has a 5 ft cord, then the transformer, then another 5 ft cord that plugs into the end of a 40" strip, then a 12" cord, then a 12" strip. The cabinets are a 48" blind corner and a 12". This is the wall I posted before. There's an outlet in the top left corner of the left cabinet that's on the same switch as the one mentioned above. Same type of power supply, 12" strip, 78" cord (that's too short...see below), 12" strip, 78" cord, 40" strip. The two left wall cabinets are 21's, as is the pantry. The two at the left are 27's. I called them today for a couple things. I confirmed the dimmers are working as they're supposed to (which is not as I intended. I didn't inquire about returning them. I may. I asked for a solution to my need for a longer cord to span the range area. The guy said I need a splitter (cords are all male-male, the splitter works as a female-female connector). The strips all ship with 40" (I think) cables that I didn't use so I have plenty of them. That should do it. I also had one wonky clip, so he's sending one no charge. Biggest cost for today's order was shipping. I said I was in no hurry (I'm probably 60 miles from them, things get here fast) and he offered to ship USPS for less. I'm very happy so far. Honestly I feel that with just these on at night, it's nearly as light as our old kitchen overall. Yes, I exaggerate, but not a lot. Here is a link that might be useful: Premium Modular UCL...See MoreMounting UCLs
Comments (11)I am a little confused about where you say the light "aimed at the wall" or "facing out". I have a feeling you are not talking about undercabinet strip lights then? Are you talking about pucks? With strip lighting, they're just pointing down, not "aiming" anywhere. I myself am not a fan of puck lights, because I don't like the circles of light on the counter. They're a more cumbersome install too. I like strip lights. You can buy xenon strip lights, with the transformer built in, for reasonable prices at Lowe's and Home Depot. To expand a bit on what Red_eared_slider86 wrote, if you are getting strip lights, it is preferable to install them toward the front of the cabinets. The goal is to light your countertop for task lighting. If you install strip lights toward the back, you are mostly shedding light on your backsplash, not on your counter, which is a waste of the light, and the money you spent on them. If you install the strips toward the front of the cabinets, you are shedding the light on your counters. Furthermore, if you install lights toward the back, they will be visible when you are sitting down. Your upper cabinets should have a "light rail", which should come standard with your cabinet order. A light rail is a strip that is 1-2" tall, that is installed along the bottom of your upper cabinets in the front. The light rail will hide your undercabinet lighting if you install the lighting toward the front. Some electricians like to install undercabinet lighting toward the back, cause it's easier. Installing toward the front means they have to crane their neck more and their arms, but really it's not that big of a deal for them. Also, don't let your electrician tell you "the wiring will show" if you install the lights toward the front. If it's hardwired, and installed properly, the wiring won't show. Again, you should have a light rail, which will hide your undercabinet lighting if installed toward the front. As to "bumping" the undercabinet lights that your electrician mentioned, I have never heard of that happening, and I have been on this forum a long time. How many inches will be between your countertop and your upper cabinets? The typical distance, not including the lighting, is 18". That distance allows room for the inch or two of undercabinet lighting, and to put things on the counter like toaster, coffee maker, etc. There will be no "bumping"....See MoreMags438
9 years agoMags438
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agolmgch
9 years agolmgch
9 years agoscrappy25
9 years agoMags438
9 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
all my kitchen LEDs are in the 2700 to 3000k range. DH likes yellow incadesence and I like it a bit whiter. We get both using the dimmer. Its upside down, but this is the haefele we went with.
I lost data as I tried to update this earlier. Fyi- although you can see the pin lights as mentioned by Schicksal, it is one continuous light on countertop. I second environmental lights as well. I would have used them too if I didn't go thru my cabinet ppl for lighting installed on cabs. Haefele was a very reputable maker
schicksal
9 years agolmgch
9 years ago
PROProSource Memphis
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoWhy do you need it to be hardwired? Having the driver plug into a switched outlet will give you the same function. It's what we did here, and then you just add the dimmer control to a convenient location. This is the Hafele warm white tape LED in the two wood kitchens. The white kitchen has the cool everwhere but under the gray hutch, where we used the warm. You can see the color shift there if you look closely.
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Kemper Showroom Vignette · More Info
Kemper Echo Wine Bar · More Info
Dynasty Omega Showroom Vignette · More Infosjhockeyfan325
9 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
Honu3421
9 years ago
PROInspired LED
9 years agoIf you still are feeling overwhelmed with Under Cabinet Lighting, feel free to utilize our free design services! We can provide a free layout and quote for you, to ensure you have everything you need!
We offer a variety of affordable LED lighting solutions, including those warmer tones preferred by most customers!
Kitchen LED Lighting | Inspired LED · More Info
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