Probably too late for this poster from almost a year ago, but in a similar situation, I just found current limiters that have been developed for J and H type track lighting (Juno / Halo and other compatibles). Search for "va rating integral current limiter". VA stands for Volt Amperage. The ones I found readily were Juno and Nora brands. So now you can limit the power that can be used (and that will count against you in the Title 24 calculations) and with new LED fixtures that use so few watts, you can easily have enough light even with much lower limit. (1A limiter would still give you 120W at 120V). Most LED pendants that I've seen are in the range of 3-7W each. It's still not considered "high-efficiency", (because someone could put incandescent or halogen fixtures on the track - although now limited) but can be balanced out by other high efficiency fixtures - either LED or fluorescent - that you are able to install elsewhere in the kitchen. Can't wait to tell the electrician... and can't believe I found this on my own despite all the lighting "experts" telling me it couldn't be done!

Thanks so much for all the replies! Redhead, the funny thing is that I do like stopping short of the beams for some of the furniture pieces we have. As you said, it does highlight the ceiling itself. But in the kitchen it drives me crazy because no matter what, junk gets shoved up there and the tops get horribly, filthy dusty. Yuck. Lalitha do you have a picture of your cabinets? I would love to see what going up to the beam would look like! I am leaning towards that solution right now, but still a bit on the fence. Countrygirl thanks for chipping in! Your new kitchen has such a lovely space, and I am hugely jealous of your beautiful window. PS. - I agree with you that staining your cabinets would look gorgeous with your new soapstone. I think the workers reluctance is due to oak grain being so hard to cover unless you take several time-consuming steps. But I would definitely paint the cabinets too. I am flirting with the idea for mine, too, but I love stained alder. Plus it gives me a direction for when we update the kitchen twenty years after this reno! Lavender lass, good to hear from you! The storage issue is a factor, as I can't reach up there too easily, but I plan on having a little step stool anyway so should not be a concern. And if stuff is going to be shoved up there anyway, I might as well make sure it is pretty and protected from dust - or fill up the space with display items. So I am still on the fence... I would LIKE to go to the ceiling, mainly because I would never have to clean the cabinet top. How's that for shallow reasons :)? It gives me enough clearance to use 15" cabinets on top of the upper cabs, which is nice. Also, I do like the look - up close. The problem is that as soon as I walk five feet away, I can't see a whole lot of anything between the beams. So I am scared of paying extra for something that isn't actually seen very much. Going to the bottom of the beams, then adding some molding, sounds like the better idea - but then it would be best to do extra-tall cabinets and just glass in the top part. Hmmm... That may be the way to go then????

The company that makes your track may have a 'surface mount' connector that would allow you to forego the need for a junction box, OR, they may have an extension cable that allows for a remote location of a junction box. Your best bet is to contact the track manufacturer or look online for accessories & connectors from that company. Good luck!

Hi Beth! Above the knotty pine is plywood, insulation, TPO roofing. Our roof is completely flat. I actually like the idea of faux beams over the existing one. That wouldn't be a bad idea. The beams have natural cracks in them which are an eye sore. The faux beams would those come with lighting pre installed or is this something that is custom made? Asking because through every room in our house we have the knotty pine with beams. I'd want to have the faux beam matching as close as possible.