The LED One Distribution team would like to share some ideas to improve your kitchen lighting and increase the enjoyment of your kitchen space. Your family gathers in the kitchen at the end of the day. It’s a place to share stories of days spent and life shared.
Light fixtures installed under your kitchen cabinets can make your kitchen warm and inviting. It will also make cooking and safer. We offer a variety of bulbs and products for your home.
Before Getting Started
Check how much space is under your cabinets. The lighting should hide under the cabinetry and not be visible. Depth is the primary measurement as it limits the number of fixtures available. Then check the width of the cabinets. Fixtures matching the width of the cabinet will give even lighting across the counter area. For a professional look, choose a lighting fixture color that matches your cabinets.
Choosing the Power Source
Lights can be directly hard wired, plugged into an outlet or battery operated. Battery operated lighting and plugged in lights are the easiest to install. Lighting hard-wired requires a professional.
Hard wired lighting has the advantage of turning all the lights on at once. A dimmer switch can also be installed to control the amount of lighting. Hard wired lights need to be compatible with each other. So, they should be produced by the same manufacturer or product line.
Choosing the Lighting Source
Lighting choices include LED, halogen, xenon or fluorescent lights. We’ll take a closer look at them below.
LED Fixtures
The kitchen is perfect for LED lights as they release very little heat when used. A dimmer switch can control the color temperature of the light to give the kitchen a warm or cool look. There are a lot of different light fixtures available as there is a lot of focus being given to LED lighting. LED under cabinet lighting is the longest lasting and energy efficient option.
LED Flexible Tape Strips Or Rope Lighting
If you have very little space under your cabinets flexible LED tape strips might be the solution. They aren’t as bright as other regular light fixtures but can bring some extra light into the kitchen. LED tape strips last a long time, are easy to install and can be cut to fit your cabinet space. They are also available in a variety of color temperatures.
Puck Lights
Puck lights are the round lights used under cupboards. They got their name as they look like hockey pucks. Puck lights can use a variety of lighting sources. Your options include LED, xenon or halogen. They can be battery operated, making them a good option for renters and people that don’t want to deal with wiring. To provide even lighting to your work surface install puck lights 8” to 12” apart.
Xenon Lights
Xenon lights produce an extremely bright light by passing electricity through xenon gas. They produce a lot of heat and have a much shorter life than LED. A typical lifespan for Xenon bulbs is 5,000 hours versus 45,000 hours for LED lighting. Xenon lights are frequently seen in under cabinet and landscaping applications. They are also used by surgeons and in automobile headlights.
Halogen Lights
Halogen lights produce a bright white light that is great for task lighting. While their light is good, LED lighting uses 85% less energy to produce the same amount of light. Halogens are frequently used in track lighting and recessed lighting.
Fluorescent Light Fixtures
At one time fluorescent lights were a popular light source. Fluorescents are being phased out and eventually will no longer be available.
Call Us
Give the LED One Distribution team a call if you have any questions about using LED lighting in your kitchen. We are always here to help.