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Remodeling Lighting Kitchens

Looking for ideas on how to run under cabinet lighting...

5 years ago

I have 1 more day till the drywall goes up and i still can't think of a good way to connect all my under cabinet lights to a single outlet and lighting transformer.

I basically have 3 groups of uppers, one above dishwasher, group between sink and fridge and then across the kitchen. The outlet and transformer will be located in cabinet above the fridge.

The main question is how to get the wire from the cabinet above the DW and the one across the kitchen back to the cabinet above the fridge? The floor joist above the kitchen run perpendicular to the window wall, so i don't think i can go through the ceiling.

Do i put some sort of junction box behind the cabinets with conduit running into the basement and then chase all the wires over to the fridge area and run them up conduit to a box that way? The trick here would be getting the wires into the boxes and down that conduit with cabinets in place but still hidden.

Also note that unlike the photo shows, i don't think we are going to do crown moulding, but instead put the cabinets nearly tight to the ceiling.

Ideas?!

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Comments (7)

PRO
User
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
An electrician would run the correct rated wires behind the walls or through the attic, and connect them to the driver, and the LED strips. Thats’s what was done here. There are 3 separate sections, and the driver is located in the shallow base cabinet to the left, next to the wall. Other recessed and pendant lighting is on separate circuits.
Gorgeous in Germantown · More Info
Matt
Original Author
5 years ago
So does the wire from the light go straight into the wall under the cabinet? Or does it go up into the cabinet and then into a box or something?
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Whether the thickness of the fixture matters depends on the design of the cabinets. I have IKEA cabinets with a "deco strip" attached to the bottom of the cabinet that hides the underside of the cabinet as well as the under-cabinet lights and wires. It hangs down 2-1/2" below the cabinet so it would hide a 1" or 3/8" thick light. The SlimEdge lights are available with color temperatures of 2700K and 3000K while the Enbrighten is switchable between 3000K-4000K-5000K. IMO 2700K is definitely too low (i.e., light is too yellow) for a kitchen and 3000K is on the border. Before deciding, I'd pick up one of these Commercial Electric Selectable Integrated LED Downlights ($20 at Home Depo), attach the downlight to a lamp (screw the connector into a lamp), and experiment with various color temperatures and brightnesses, shining the downlight at your countertop and other things (e.g., backsplash, food) that will be illuminated by the under-counter light you ultimately choose.
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wiscokid
5 years ago
Are you doing this yourself? Doesn’t your electrical require inspection and sign off before you enclose it with drywall?
User
5 years ago
Hire an electrician or just use cheesy stick on battery operated lights. This is out of your lane.
PRO
User
5 years ago
The electrician handled the how on that job. I told him what I wanted, and he made it happen.

I have DIYed a whole showroom’s worth of HAFELE LED lighting, which would plug into an outlet on the backsplash. Each segment was on a switch then, and couldn’t be operated in unison.

Are you dead set on your layout? I’ve cured several “cave corners” like that by moving the refrigerator across the aisle. That includes the above kitchen. Here’s the Before.

Gorgeous in Germantown · More Info
User
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Totally agree about eliminating the cave corner. That’s your main work area too. Because you don’t have a big enough space to have a good prep area, AND a good cooking area on whatever your island looks like. That layout is for sure a Before, not an After. The whole point of a remodel is to make things better than they were before you spent tens of thousands of dollars. Not to go back with the same old same 1978 cooking island nonfunctional space.
SirJohn
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
I assume the wire you are running is in wall rated. Is the ceiling already drywalled? Can you access the ceiling joists from above (like from the attic)? As long as you can access the joists, it is no problem drilling and running a wire through joists. Even if you don't have direct access you can use a flexible drill bit to fish through joists as long as the run isn't too long and you know where any plumbing and ducts are. Here's an example of a flex bit.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Klein-Tools-3-8-in-x-72-in-Flex-Auger-Bit-53717/203871767

and a tutorial https://www.familyhandyman.com/electrical/wiring/fishing-electrical-wire-through-walls/ and check the suggestion of running conduit through base cabinets.

Fishing wire through the joists is something I avoid (just me and my confidence/skill level) but it is fine to do, even if it can be challenging. If I have access to the joists, then no problem (just get in the attic and do it).

It may be a longer run, but is it physically possible to run wire through wall all the way to the desired switch?

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