Home Renovation Toronto

By Bill Dietrich

Under cabinet lighting illuminates the work area below with the fixture installed on the underside of the cabinet. Ideally, the fixtures used in under cabinet lighting should minimize their physical presence and conceal the wiring as much as possible. While this form of lighting is technically geared toward practical activity, it is important to maintain aesthetic harmony with the surrounding environment and also produce the right type of illumination over the work area.

Countertops and food preparation need an evenly distributed field of linear lighting rather than hot spots of light that appear brighter than the rest of the work area. This light should blend comfortably with the general lighting of the room without producing discomforting glare.

Until recently, the most cost effective under cabinet lights were fluorescent. In fact, fluorescent was the power saving mainstay of the lighting industry since being invented in the early twentieth century. People never really preferred them to incandescents because of the glare and flicker they became notorious for producing. Today, better circuit designs and superior fixtures have since made it possible to use Xenon and LED replacement bulbs in under cabinet strip lighting fixtures. Low voltage technology can also make any bulb type less of a power hog.

Selecting LED under cabinet lights now requires more of the eye of a designer than the technical skills of an electrical engineer. The ultimate goal in choosing the right fixture has now moved toward producing optimal lighting levels for work areas and creating balance and comfort with surrounding layers of light.

Under cabinet lights fall into one of two categories: puck lights and linear strip lights. Puck lights are circular in shape and mount in the center of the under side of the cabinet. Linear strips mount underneath, either on the front edge or the back edge of the cabinet.

Until recent years, display cabinet lights used fluorescent lamps designed to create an even spread of light and reduce energy costs at the same time. Both types of fixtures now, however, present certain drawbacks when it comes to optimal under cabinet lighting.

Puck under cabinet display lights experience difficulty creating an even field of illumination. If a puck light is installed in the center of the cabinet underside, it will create a bright circle or hot spot of light immediately beneath itself. Also, by design, surface puck lights require exposed wiring and possibly low voltage transformers that may be unsightly and appear as an afterthought. If sitting at tables, banquets or bar stools, the viewing angle changes and provides a clear view of these light sources. The only way to compensate for this is to install several smaller puck lights in a series. Why do this if you can use strip light products? In fact, with only rare exceptions, linear LED strip lights for under cabinet generally provide the best levels and distribution of light all around. Fluorescents will fit the bill in some respects, but in many instances will also create glare and seldom come with dimmable functionality.

Furthermore, fluorescent strips are typically mounted near the back wall with the light thrown forward. This puts too much illumination into the eyes of the viewer from a sitting position.

Newly designed LED strips for under cabinet lighting offer a number of advantages over both fluorescent strips and puck lights. For one, the strips mount near the front of the cabinet and throw the light backward.

This keeps the light from directly blinding the eyes and works very well on surfaces such as granite and marble countertops that are highly reflective by nature. Custom linear strips hug the underside of the cabinet so closely they are virtually invisible from every angle. Because each under cabinet light strip uses lamps that snap readily into the light strip itself, bulb replacements are far easier than with most puck lights. Also, unlike halogen bulbs in puck lights that become easily damaged by the oil from human fingers, festoon lamps of all varieties such as incandescent lamps, xenon lamps, and LED light bulbs, are designed to be handled and switched out by the end user without hassle to the person or damage to equipment.

Custom strips are factory cut to the exact physical dimensions of the under cabinet surface. Light therefore mimics the contour of its surroundings more harmoniously, and glare and power savings combine into one chic, unobtrusive fixture that hides itself and lights the task at hand.

About The Author

Phantom Lighting manufactures specialized strip lighting fixtures that fulfill all the technical and aesthetic qualities of exceptional under kitchen cabinet lighting. See our strip lighting and Fine Art Lighting products at http://www.phantomlighting.com