I would have bet money you're right that undercab lights are installed towards the front, just behind the light bar moulding. However, my undercab lights (which beautifully illuminate) are installed in the back (a couple inches forward from the backsplash). Who knew?

There are so many different versions of undercabinet strip lights. Here are just a few:

21" Instalux LED Slim Under Cabinet Strip Light, White · More Info

12W 1 LED Utility Light White Finish Clear Glass - Under Cabinet - Strips · More Info

There are also LED tape lights which can be adhered directly underneath:

LED Under Cabinet White Strip Lights, 4-Pack · More Info

I'd go for the slimmest design possible that can also be put on dimmers.

if the lights were installed at the back, it would bounce down the walls and reflect off of them in a nice way. but on the other hand, it might just enhance things you don't want to see -- like the cord from your coffee maker that was supposed to stay tucked away in the shadows. IDK.

can you have him tape one up so you can see? view it at night so no natural light is coming in. take a few pics. move the location of the fixtures and look again. decide for yourself which you like better. if you have a bar or table in there, sit down and see how it looks from that point of view.

be sure the fixtures have frosted covers, otherwise you might get bad glare off of the countertop (unless it's matte).

The undercabinet lights (“UCL”) need to be installed toward the front. When they are installed toward the front, the light is shed onto the middle of the countertop where it’s supposed to be. Installed toward the back, they are mostly lighting the backsplash. In addition, when undercabinet lights are installed toward the back, the light strip is more visible from a seated position which you don’t want.

Some electricians balk at installing UCL toward the front - it’s a little more twisting for them, and may take 10 minutes longer than installing toward the back. An electrician may also say ”the wires will show” if the UCL is installed toward the front. But actually, no, the wires won’t show if installed by a competent electrician. Stand your ground on this. The electrician wants to save a little time and trouble for himself, but you’ll have to live with it for years. Or find another electrician.

“if the lights were installed at the back, it would bounce down the walls and reflect off of them in a nice way.”

This is incorrect. This would be wasting your money on poorly-installed undercabinet lighting. The lights need to be installed toward the front so that they shed light onto the middle of the counter where you need it. The backsplash will still have light on it from the UCL installed at the front, but the UCL won’t be solely lighting the backsplash the way they would if they are installed at the back.

This is all good info. My backsplash is nothing I want illuminated! And I do see how the front of the cabinet is the center of the counter. I know he's not doing tape because he said, "a fixture, like what a fluorescent tube would have." So I hope that means some kind of light diffusion. I like the look of the light from a fluorescent tube rather than a row of dots from tape. Unfortunately, we were talking on the phone and when he gave me the SKU of a similar fixture to look at on Home Depot, Home Depot would not pull up the fixture for me. It pulled it up for him but not for me. Weird.

BTW, hi, Shannon. I'm in WI, too.

On a related topic, I don't want a separate switch on the wall for the lights because it's a small wall with enough on it already. I want the switch on the fixture. Can someone recommend a slim fixture with a high and low setting?

Shannon_WI ok, but it's what I experienced. we had lights like that in a past kitchen. how well this works depends on how bright the back wall and countertops are. I only mentioned it to speculate at what that cabinet installer may have been thinking.

regardless, I do agree that lights in the middle would be more useful, so it is weird he suggested it.

I had my kitchen renovated a few years ago and have LED strip lights under my cabinets. The lights are placed inside the front, butting up to my cabinet moldings. The lighting is perfect too!

@kculbers, on a unrelated note, would you mind sharing the name and size of the pulls on your cabinets?

What @Shannon_WI said…our strip lights were installed at the front of the cabinets, abutting the light rail. While the backsplash does get illuminated, most of the light falls on the counter, where it’s needed most.

Hi Militaster: my cabinet pulls are Top Knobs, Griggs Pull 5 1/16 inch, Brushed Satin Nickel, code # M391 ( made in Thailand).

Make sure you see what he’s installing before he does it - some UCL’s are nice, others are really ugly

My electrician wanted to install my UCLs near the wall, for the reason cited above. However, my own preference was to focus the light on the center of the countertop (also as cited above).

The reason I love working with my electrician is that he'll give me his opinion, listen to mine, and we talk through what the best installation will be. Regarding UCL placement, he said, "yep, you'll want these installed at the front. It's not what I'd do at my house, but that's ok - it's your house." I defer to his expertise on how to make the wiring work and meet code/safety; he defers to me on how I want to experience the final result. (He's done a lot of projects for me and also has extended social invitations - so I think/hope our appreciation is mutual.)

You will have to live with your final result, so hopefully you and your electrician can have that difference of opinion and still end up satisfied.

"Can someone recommend a slim fixture with a high and low setting?"

This Commercial Electric LED Under Cabinet Light Bar is 1.14" high, comes in five widths (to match various cabinet widths), has a hi/low brightness switch and a three color-temperature switch. Light bars can be linked together so you only need one power point for several fixtures. A direct-wire adapter is available. Note: linked lights still operate independently. If you want to be able to control linked lights as a group, install a separate switch.

My electrician is so behind schedule that I don't have anything installed yet, but I'm going to go with toward the front. Thanks to all who posted such nice photos!