LED Rope Lighting, String, Cove, Under Cabinet ????

[karoc]

Well as I slowly kinda close in walls some I have come to believe that I like to add some of that rope or string led lighting and some under cabinets in kitchen area. Our lighting right now is ceiling fan lights, plus maybe lamps. In bath rm which is 5’x12’ our lighting is wall mount above sink and can light over shower. I watch YouTube’s so I know little about them, but I kinda have idea of what I want.
1) We’re in our 70’s eyes not that good
2) Don’t want to see dots, want see continuous bright lights.
3) No different colors, just good white light,on by flip of switch.
4) Want them last forever or till death do us part.
5) Simple wiring, low voltage etc?
Members this is all new construction, I like to figure out how pre wire lighting while walls are open. I do lot of woodworking but I really don’t want to put big chunk of crown along flat ceiling but I will if can’t come up with good idea.
I’m looking for y’all voice on this, your thoughts, ideas, links, where buy the good stuff, websites, pics of your lights, Youtubes, and maybe what these types lights are called. Oh, this is for interior. Open living/kitchen area, bathrm area. Nothing fancy, just On/Off switch and more on bright side

 

[Chuckster in NJ]

I would suggest checking out a "high end lighting store" in your area for the latest and greatest fixtures available.
Here is an example of one: https://www.fergusonhome.com/shop-all-undercabinet/c82043549?facets=features:LED

When I was a contractor many designers who did high end commercial jobs purchased their fixtures from lighting stores in New York City (Bowery Area)

Another idea is to check out home design and architectural magazines for ideas because lighting ideas and fixtures change fast.

TIP! AVOID cheap fixtures that have no headquarters in case you need parts or warranty issues.

 

[mikedodge]

Rope light isn't meant to be permanent. The last one I had actually started burning up on itself.

Get LED Tape light preferrably with the aluminum channel option to stick it in otherwise it can come off over time. It's meant to do what you're looking for and you can cut it to the length you need.

 

[larry4406]

At the day job (and I did at my house at wife’s kitchen) we use Kichler tape LED lighting.

It’s mounted under the wall cabinets. We install it along the bottom front cabinet stile so it shines back towards the splash.

Literally cuts with scissors. Order terminals to connect to the cut pieces.

We use I believe 4000K. I will check.

It’s rough wired with I recall 18/2 to the tape light locations.

We usually wire a switch leg into a kitchen cabinet to power the LED driver which is mounted there (inside cooktop cabinet). When we have a full slide in range, we put the LED driver(s) in the basement.

I honestly do not like overhead light. I’m 63. I love the undercabinet lighting as it illuminates the space and no blinding glow.

My eyes like 4000K. Lower and it’s too yellow for me. Higher and it starts getting bluish and harsh on my eyes.

 

[pima67]

A few years ago I bought pack of 3 led, rechargeable, motion controlled under cab lights along with some other stuff from Amazon (just for fun purchase). They have 2 rows of leds and via magnet stick to a flat iron plate "glued" under the cabs and are hidden by the front of the cabs. . They also have changeable colors and can be set to always on. One has died but the other 2 work OK. They keep a long charge but then that maybe because only waved on by hand as needed. May not need them any more since I changed out the CFLs with daylight led floods. My pre-nuclear age eyes appreciate the new lights.

 

[Stuart in MN]

Rope light isn't meant to be permanent. The last one I had actually started burning up on itself.

Get LED Tape light preferrably with the aluminum channel option to stick it in otherwise it can come off over time. It's meant to do what you're looking for and you can cut it to the length you need.

Some of those aluminum channel options also include a diffuser strip that snaps on over the LEDs, so you get more of a constant light along the length, instead of a bright spot under each LED.

There will generally also be a transformer to convert 120vac to low voltage. You put the transformer inside on of the cabinets, along with a switched 120vac receptacle to plug it into. Then you run two small wires out through a hole in the bottom of the cabinet to the LED tape

 

[larry4406]

At the day job (and I did at my house at wife’s kitchen) we use Kichler tape LED lighting.

It’s mounted under the wall cabinets. We install it along the bottom front cabinet stile so it shines back towards the splash.

Literally cuts with scissors. Order terminals to connect to the cut pieces.

We use I believe 4000K. I will check.

It’s rough wired with I recall 18/2 to the tape light locations.

We usually wire a switch leg into a kitchen cabinet to power the LED driver which is mounted there (inside cooktop cabinet). When we have a full slide in range, we put the LED driver(s) in the basement.

I honestly do not like overhead light. I’m 63. I love the undercabinet lighting as it illuminates the space and no blinding glow.

My eyes like 4000K. Lower and it’s too yellow for me. Higher and it starts getting bluish and harsh on my eyes.

Attached are the Kichler components I used. I was wrong, the tape lighting is 3000K under our wall cabinets and 5000k at our bookcases. Picture showing how the tape lighting is fastened under the wall cabinets and close to the front cabinet bottom rail.

 

[couch67]

I installed the strip tape under my cabinets around 2012 during a full reno. I dont recall the brand name but they were 5050 diodes (ordered from Amazon), and 60 per meter, 3000k like Larry's.

They are bright enough under most conditions but sometimes would like that extra light. They now sell strips with 120 leds per meter, that would be pretty bright- a dimmer may need to be considered with the lighting that dense.

For heat dissipation and a bit of protection, I installed them in a shallow alumimum channel. The power run goes into the wall and directly down in the basement, where the 12v power supply is. A switch in the kitchen turns the supply on/off.

 

[dave*99]

I also have 3000K tape LEDs. In addition to under the cabinets, I have them on top of the cabinets.

There is a switched receptacle up top on a dimmer. The power supply is up top too.

Plan carefully around TV with ceilings lights. I used wall wash ceiling lights. They are on the sides of the TV. No glare. Glare *****.

Recessed or depressed center ceiling pucks offer less harshness is other locations too. The flat ones are harder on my eyes.

 

[zimman]

I use LED light fixtures, something I can clean. I've had rope or tape lights before and I just don't think they are as bright as these.
Zim

Amertac 15 in. L White Plug-In LED Strip Light 420 lm Mfr# ZIO-L15W-N1 - Ace Hardware

Plug-in and linking. Dimmable. On/off switch. Frosted diffuser. Easy mount installation, mounting hardware included.Find the STRIP LIGHT 15 PLUG at Ace.

www.acehardware.com

 

[dave*99]

I have 20 LEDs per ft. It's plenty bright for my needs.

These high density tapes offer 464 lumens per foot if you need it. This type offers 72 LEDs per ft.

High Density Flexible LED Strip Light |D-Series | aspectLED

D-Series high density flexible LED strip light for high output applications. 72 LEDs per foot. Perfect for cove lighting, backlighting, and other architectural lighting applications.

www.aspectled.com

There are also dot-less types available. They are water resistant so you should be able to clean them.

 

[rharman]

@karoc - Take a look at FlexFireLeds.com

After 30 years of dinking around with under/over cabinet fluorescent fixtures - later converted to no ballast LED - we installed FlexFire in mid-2023. It's a great quality product. Their pre-sales and post-sale support was fantastic.

As @Stuart in MN mentioned, there is a diffuser that snaps into the channel. You can see the channel/diffuser in the first pic. Several variations of channel & diffuser style are available as well as several options for the light strips - # of leds/inch, dimming, color temp, etc.

I have the components on-hand to do my workbench. Just haven't gotten around to it yet but looking forward to the results. Those lights are single temp (5000k) but they are dimmable.

You need a 120v receptacle or j-box to connect the power supply and remote. Since we already had cabinet lighting, there was an existing j-box available in every cabinet where we needed the lights. I ran the power to the top of the cabinet into a handy box. The handy box is mounted to the cabinet and the power supply and remote driver are on a piece of PVC "wood". I put washers under the components for air circulation/heat dissipation. We have 3 zones spread out over our kitchen, nook, and laundry room. It's a total of 6 "systems" but the 4 in the kitchen are programmed as 1 zone.

Our cabinets, obviously, don't go to the ceiling so mounting the components up top was an easy choice. In our laundry room, there is only under-cabinet lighting so the components are mounted on the back wall right next to the j-box.

You mentioned colors. Ours, in the house, don't do "colors" but they are adjustable for color temp and brightness. We normally like very bright - most of our lighting is 5000k. But we usually have these set at a warmer color temp and about half brightness. It just looks better under normal circumstances. If we want bright task lighting, it's easy to crank them up to fully bright & 5000k in a heartbeat. There are no hot spots with the options we picked.

I really like this product. BTW... I'm hitting 71 this year so I get the concerns you have.

 

[Mike65]

We put the under-cabinet lighting in 2 different areas of the kitchen when we renovated it. The lights my wife got at Home Depot are rope lights that just plug in to a regular outlet but can be direct wired if you want to. They came with a remote we mounted to the side of the cabinet & have 4 different light output brightness settings. We like them because we get up early in the morning when it is still dark to go to our PT jobs & do not like the overhead lights on that early. We have had them for going on 5 years now & we like them. They can be cut to a specific length & are linkable. Here is a link to the one's we used.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Commercial-Electric-16-ft-LED-Tunable-White-Tape-Light-Kit-Under-Cabinet-Light-421510/313874126?MERCH=REC-_-pipsem-_-313874123-_-0-_-n/a-_-n/a-_-n/a-_-n/a-_-n/a#see-more-details

 

[cybrdyke]

Attempting to help with semantics. These names often get jumbled up, but this is the lingo that the lighting folks use.
LED Rope:


LED Tape:


LED COB tape:


LED String:


LED Strip:


LED Neon:


Hopefully that helps the conversation.
CD

 

[cybrdyke]

For those thinking about using LED tape, a short tutorial:
It comes in 3 main configurations, 12V, 24V and 120V. 12V and 24V is normally used inside, for safety reasons, with 24V being the overwhelmingly preferred choice. 120V is normally used outside because you can make longer runs with it. Outdoor tape will have a silicone or similar coating. Brightness is described in "lumens per foot", or sometimes "watts per foot", but not in "diodes per foot". Interior runs using 24 volts are limited to 96 watts, so if you're using tape that is 1.5 watts per foot, then you can run 64'. If you are using tape that is 3 watts per foot, then you can run 32', and so on. Typical kitchen installations use 1.5w/ft for toe kicks and either 1.5w/ft or 3w/ft for undercabinets. LED tape is for accent lighting or mood lighting, but not typically used for actual illumination of spaces. LED Tape should almost always be put into a channel with a diffuser lens to reduce or eliminate the LED "dots" effect so that your project doesn't end up looking like the local vape shop window.
There is a large difference between pro LED tape and Amazon LED tape. Amazon LED tape is considered a "toy" that's good enough for your kid's playroom or your mancave. Pro LED tape is used in commercial and even some industrial applications.
Happy to answer any questions you might have.
CD

 

[Buckaroo5]

As I get older, I see the need for upgrading lighting in all my work areas. I spent a lot of time on the lighting in my kitchen renovation so that I can I adjust it up when needed but turn off/dim lights so that it is not objectionable in the evenings.

For the undercabinet lighting, all components were purchased from superbrightleds.com which made it easy to match them and paid about $270 delivered. I put in a switch feeding 120v receptacle that I put in cabinet. I put the transformer and controller up on the top shelf feeding a continuous wire throughout the kitchen so the one switch controls everything. I got COB LED lighting because I didn't want the dots and it is all white light (no fancy colors) but the "temperature" is selectable meaning you can move it between a warm, yellow light (2700K) and a bluish, very white light (6500K). There is a remote I keep in the cabinet that can dim the light and change the temperature but I don't use it once I got it set the way I like (3000K). Just use the wall mounted light switch for on/off. You can purchase power supply connectors for each of the led strips but I opted to solder them to avoid future issues. I bought the power supply wiring that I pulled through the walls and soffits elsewhere but made sure it had a relatively rugged sheathing on the outside to avoid abrasion damage.

These are the components I used.....

5m Tunable White COB LED Strip Light - Even-Glow® Series LED Tape Light - 2700K-6500K - IP20 - 24V

The Even-Glow® Series 5m Tunable White COB LED Strip Light uses chip-on-board technology to create a smooth, seamless line of light. Using a high density of LEDs, the COB strip light produces a continuous linear light without hotspots, ideal for applications on or around reflective surfaces such...

www.superbrightleds.com

DiodeDrive Desktop AC Power Adapter - 24 VDC Switching Power Supply - 60W-120W

CPS series Power Adaptor from DiodeDrive provides power for 24 VDC systems, with either 60 or 120-watts. The reliable Class II device has a fully enclosed plastic case and protection against short circuit and overload. 2-pin 120 VAC input. 5.5-mm barrel connector for easy powering.

www.superbrightleds.com

CPS-x2ST Standard Barrel Connector to Screw Terminal Adapter

CPS-x2ST standard 5.5mm male or female barrel connector to screw terminal adapter. CPS-F2ST adapter allows products with pigtail power connections to be powered by CPS series power supplies.

www.superbrightleds.com

Tunable White LED Controller with Wireless RF Remote - 7 Amps/Channel - Mini Variable Color Temperature LED Controller

This tunable white LED controller with wireless RF remote is perfect for operating your tunable white LED light strips. The LED remote has adjustable brightness (2%-100%) and color temperature controls, and it can operate your light strip from greater than 50' away in open air. Power-cycle mode...

www.superbrightleds.com

CPS-PT Pigtail CPS Power Adapter Cable - Pigtail Wire CPS-Cable

Pigtail wire leads power adapter cable for compact power supplies. Allows products with power wires to connect with 5.5mm barrel connector. 63.5cm(25in) length.

www.superbrightleds.com

3M-FTP Double-Sided Foam Pad - Double-Sided Foam Pad

High performance 3M Closed-Cell Acrylic Foam Tape Pads - adhesive on both sides for attaching light bars and other LED products to a wide variety of surfaces. Measures 1.25 x 0.625in, 0.088in thick.

www.superbrightleds.com

 

[Buckaroo5]

This is what I used for downlighting. Once you get the holes cut and the wiring pulled, they are very simple to install.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/HALO-RL-6-in-Adjustable-Canless-Recessed-LED-Downlight-for-New-Consctruction-or-Remodel-900-1200lm-5CCT-D2W-120V-DM-RL6LS9FSD2W1EWHDM/326550080

https://www.homedepot.com/p/HALO-RA-4-in-Integrated-LED-Recessed-Light-Trim-600-Lumens-900-Lumens-5-Selectable-CCT-D2W-120-Volt-DM-RA4LS9FSD2W1EWHDM/327122595#see-more-details