Yes, I mentioned UCL. I can add those questions here too, if you want them. ;) GC mentioned tape. Another contractor I've had doing some other stuff mentioned pucks. I've become enamored with the Environmental Lights ultra thin system. I have emailed them questions. It's been a couple days, I'll probably call them today. Today, the electrician is prepping for outlets for the UCL in three spots where these wall cabinets will be: --next to fridge --each of the cabinets flanking the range I haven't zero'd in on a system yet, but that seems okay. I am unsure if I'll want lights over the washer and dryer. In the past, that's been a clutter catching area. Of course I'm hoping that it won't be now with better storage, but...we'll see. I think, at least with the EL system I think I understand pretty well. I can run all the lighting on that wall with one power supply and have the wire connectors connecting the different strips, and I don't really need the second outlet on that wall. But if I go with something different, I might need it just for that second wall cabinet by the range OR I might need it for the W/D area. (The wall behind the W/D is masonry, no way I'm having an outlet added there.) A question I've got re: the EL system is if I can have those three outlets on one switch, and have two or three power supplies plugged into them as needed. I think that is fine. The bigger question that I don't think I like the answer to is about dimming. And I think my mindset at this point is to not worry about dimming for the UCL. They make this stuff to be UCL, I'm going to assume it's a good brightness for it's intended purpose. I've never had UCL, so I have no frame of reference. Once I figured out the pieces that I think I need from EL, the price was a bit more than I was thinking of. However, there's the benefit that I understand it. :) I think. I'm open to other, less expensive, good systems. But I need to understand them. As always, thoughts/suggestions welcomed.

> It seems as though there are 10.5W and 9.5W versions of the EcoSmart CR4 and CR6. I assume the 9.5W are newer The 575-lumen CR6 has always used 9.1 watts - that's what the government found when it was submitted for Energy Star certification - but Cree rated their lamps conservatively at 10.5w. More recently they changed the box design and now label it as 9.5w, which is still slightly more that it really uses. One thing that really has changed (other than the price dropping) as that it's now rated for use in wet locations (such as above showers) where water could splash on it. Both the box and the lamp bezel itself are so labelled. The old box design and the lamps in them were rated merely for "damp" locations (such as in a bathroom but away from the tub or shower). Again, I'm not sure whether anything has changed in the new lamps, or whether Cree (or some other entity) only recently decided they were adequately water-resistant. The CR4 has always been sold as 9.5w and unlike the CR6 remains not approved for wet locations.

You are in an area that is evolving rapidly. I wouldn't be too quick to jump on the lights at Lowes. If you are going to use off brand fixtures, you can do better on the price elsewhere. If you read up on lighting design, you will find that most everyone will recommend over-lighting and using a dimmer. My own plan has a 5 fixture monorail for ambient room light; 10 four inch 9watt recessed led cans for task lighting; and finally led strips for in and under cabinet task/mood lighting. All on dimmers of course. My kitchen is just under 1600 square feet. If I turned them all on at once and had them up full, I suspect the place would be absolutely blinding. That's why they make dimmer switches. I have well over 100 hours of research about lighting design to arrive at what I have. Go look at David Tay's posts on the lighting forum. He has posted extensively in this area. He is very knowledgeable on the subject of lighting. You might look to find a way of comparing the various "temperatures" of the LEDs. 2700-3000 kelvin is considered incandescent "yellow". 4000-5000 kelvin is "cool white" and 6000 +\- is "daylight". Depending on a bunch of factors, you may prefer one over the others. My wife has issues with light deprivation syndrome so we have almost every light in the house in the daylight range. You can get CFLs in these ranges also. You could maybe try three of them to see how your counters, cabinets, etc. will look. Most people who use the daylight bulbs need less of them.

Lighting is one of this week's rotating renovation obsessions, so I understand your dilemma. I made an appointment with a lighting designer at a good sized local lighting store last week ($75 for an hour, which I think was money well spent), so that might be an option for you if you live in a place where that's available, as I found it really helpful. Soft, incandescent-like dimming is a goal for me too, and I know that most LEDs just get dimmer rather than also getting warmer like good old "real" bulbs. Satco, however, makes warm dimming bulbs, and Juno has warm dimming housings. I haven't actually seen either of them, so I can't comment on how they look, and there may be others out there too, but that's an option you might want to throw into the mix (even though we're supposed to be clarifying things, not making them more complicated!) Let us know what you decide and how you like it. I keep wishing there were ONE easy area, but I haven't found it so far.