Nail kitchen under-cab LED light color first time

[rick carpenter]

We just recently had new countertops put in, and then we installed the backsplash ourselves. I want to nail the color of under-cabinet LED strips we will purchase soon the first time if possible.

The pics show our gray-toned countertops and backsplash. The cabinets are ever-so-slightly warm white and the walls are slightly warmer, maybe “off white” might describe it best. I’m planning on repainting the cabinets in a popping white soon. The overhead is fluorescent tubes that are warm white but I am going to replace them with crisp white LEDs in the near future. I hope my pics don’t convey any warmth to the grays, there isn’t any.

For the under-cab lights, I want nice crisp white LED strips but nothing as harsh as operating room white. I want the under-cabs to provide working light but mostly to “fill in” the now darker spaces under our cabinets. What temperature should I look at first?

 

[ddawg16]

I would go with a 4000-5000K light.

2700K is your typical 'warm white' color.

6000K and above is going to be a really 'white', almost blue light

You can also get multi-colored lights.

Check out SuperBrightLED....they have a remote control multi-colored setup.

I'm going to get one for the toe kick and use it as night lighting.....(and to show up all the dirt on the floor)

 

[PhysicsDude]

I agree, 4500K-5000K all the way.

I replaced all the lights in my house with 4500-5000K LEDs and I think they're amazing. Very pure white with no yellow tint or blue tint. It would definitely match your kitchen the best.

I bought these for under cabinet LEDs, they have a very pure 4500K white color, I've had good luck with them, and they're pretty cheap to boot. I put them in aluminum channel that I also bought on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019W4PWZW/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Platonic Solid]

It’s not that simple. It’s difficult to “nail” the color of anything when it really comes down to personal preference. You seem to be guiding yourself towards higher CCTs with your comment: “I’m planning on repainting the cabinets in a popping white soon. The overhead is fluorescent tubes that are warm white but I am going to replace them with crisp white LEDs in the near future. I hope my pics don’t convey any warmth to the grays, there isn’t any.”

FWIW, operating rooms use various CCTs, usually in the 4000K to 5000K realm. The difference in operating rooms is intensity and CRI not CCT. You are obviously unsatisfied with the warm white fluorescent tubes you have now. Exactly what CCT are they?

Keep in mind that overall appearance of 4000K LED is not the same as 4000K fluorescent. LEDs at all CCT levels have significantly higher blue nm output than typical fluorescents = a more sterile, “crisp?” feel.

I can only conclude that you want a non-yellow, but not sterile feel to the environment. From your pics it appears you are aiming for a colorless pallet of white and grey. This is a fairly ideal backdrop for CCT tunable LEDs as that would enable you to cover the range from warm romantic to sterile. Regardless of the CCT you choose, make sure you match all light sources in the space and consider using dimming to reduce sterile effect of higher CCTs.

 

[cybrdyke]

We just recently had new countertops put in, and then we installed the backsplash ourselves. I want to nail the color of under-cabinet LED strips we will purchase soon the first time if possible.

The pics show our gray-toned countertops and backsplash. The cabinets are ever-so-slightly warm white and the walls are slightly warmer, maybe “off white” might describe it best. I’m planning on repainting the cabinets in a popping white soon. The overhead is fluorescent tubes that are warm white but I am going to replace them with crisp white LEDs in the near future. I hope my pics don’t convey any warmth to the grays, there isn’t any.

For the under-cab lights, I want nice crisp white LED strips but nothing as harsh as operating room white. I want the under-cabs to provide working light but mostly to “fill in” the now darker spaces under our cabinets. What temperature should I look at first?

That's like asking 10 people what their favorite color is. You'll get 10 different answers. And they'll all be correct.
All people see differently. Some people think 5000k is very blue. Some people think 4000k is very yellow. That is the folly of your question, unfortunately.
Also, some folks might like warm toned lighting to soften cold colored cabinets and counters, others might like a more sterile look.
A cheap experiment might help. Get 2 low-wattage LED light bulbs at the big box store, one in 2700k and one in 5000k. Get the lower wattage, like 4 or 6 watts, so that you dont blind yourself while evaluating which tone you like the best.
You want to find the one that YOU like, not what other people like.
Good luck,
CD
PS, there are undercabinet lights available that have selectable CCT, so that you can change the color from warm white to cool white whenever you want.

 

[PT Doc]

If you are going tot replace the fluorescent lights then guess on the color and see if you like it. We personally like 2700k lights. Higher K and it seems white or blue. This is one where you will have to test before you buy.

You could put a desk lamp under the cabinet and get a few different temp bulbs and see what you like.

 

[yeldogt]

As stated above people mistake intensity with color (K)

IMO -- nothing looks as good as pure halogen light in a house. At full intensity it's at about 3100k .. with a typical dimming yellow as you drop the voltage.

Some of the very best LED fixtures can match this while dimming .. but most can't. It's a trade off .. I like layers of light .. so you can get good 3000k LED w/o dimming them. I have actually had people comment recently on my lighting. Most LED light is so bad that people don't see good lighting anymore .... 5k lighting throughout a residence is dreadful IMO.

 

[drg5490]

Here's what I did 5000k with a dimmer excuse the mess work in progress

 

[trainer]

Be sure to put some food on the counter when you are evaluating lighting colour. Higher lighting temps tends to make food look less appealing. Also keep the colour close to the lighting in the rest of the room so that articles dont apear to change colour as you move them from counter to table.

 

[yeldogt]

Here's what I did 5000k with a dimmer excuse the mess work in progress

Too late now -- but, you could have done horizontal outlets with brown fixture and cover ---hid them in the tile decoration

.... I normally use wiremould on the under side the counter

 

[drg5490]

Thought about that but one wall had a water line running horizontal behind the brown tile to feed the up stairs , which would of thrown off off the rest of the walls ...outlets have been changed to brown since this pic....oh well we like it that's all that matter

 

[ShadowRuleZ]

I bought mine from a place online and just made two orders - the first one I got 6 strips of the right length but the two different color temps I was interested in and the three brightnesses (determined by # leds/in). They just let me return what I didn't like when I made the second order for the whole kitchen.

 

[rick carpenter]

You are obviously unsatisfied with the warm white fluorescent tubes you have now. Exactly what CCT are they?

...

I can only conclude that you want a non-yellow, but not sterile feel to the environment. From your pics it appears you are aiming for a colorless pallet of white and grey.

Thanks to you and to all. I don't know what the overheads in the kitchen are. That fixture is such a pain to disassemble that I'm not gonna til I hafta. All I know is they're more yellow than I want and they're 2000 vintage so it's time for the whole thing (2'x5' box) to go.

Yes the immobile stuff in the kitchen is crisp gray and white with a touch of black in the stove. The coffee pot, knife set, etc are bright red with a few other things white or bright yellow. We like how that palette lays over the deep red-brown porcelain wood tile floor, but we don't want the floor's color to influence a warmish light choice if that makes any sense.

Our living room on the other hand is much softer and warmer overall. We had to experiment with different LEDs in the overhead cans, ceiling fan, and table lamps to get the feel we liked, and I don't know what temps/intensity we ended up with. The kitchen overheads will probably take similar experimentation, but I think starting at about 4500K for the undercab strips should be a good start.

 

[Platonic Solid]

...All I know is they're more yellow than I want and they're 2000 vintage so it's time for the whole thing (2'x5' box) to go.

Well that explains a lot. I know exactly what you're talking about and have never understood why builders put 4ft fluorescent surface mounted boxes in kitchens. (Actually I do know why = they're cheap) There's no residential kitchen scenario where that is a good lighting plan or even remotely aesthetically pleasing. What are you putting in it's place? I wouldn't put 4ft LED retrofits in a kitchen either for that matter.

 

[rick carpenter]

All I know is they're more yellow than I want and they're 2000 vintage so it's time for the whole thing (2'x5' box) to go.

Well that explains a lot. I know exactly what you're talking about and have never understood why builders put 4ft fluorescent surface mounted boxes in kitchens. (Actually I do know why = they're cheap) There's no residential kitchen scenario where that is a good lighting plan or even remotely aesthetically pleasing. What are you putting in it's place? I wouldn't put 4ft LED retrofits in a kitchen either for that matter.

I don't know what we'll end up doing overhead. A lot quite frankly depends on what the box did to the ceiling texture under/within it. I'll go to a pro lighting shop for to see if they have a design solution.

 

[Platonic Solid]

Recessed cans are appropriate and typical for kitchens.

 

[Falcon67]

As above - no less than 3500K IMHO. 2700 is orange to me, ugly. I think ours are 5K units. The pots are using 3500K BR-30s.

 

[yeldogt]

Recessed cans are appropriate and typical for kitchens.

Strategically used ......yes -- often overdone. When standard used for ambient light they don't work IMO.

 

[Platonic Solid]

Strategically used ......yes -- often overdone. When standard used for ambient light they don't work IMO.

Sure has to beat a 4ft fluorescent in the middle of the kitchen that casts a shadow in front of you no matter where you stand. Proper kitchen light layering and placement is an art form that is easy to mess up. Best advice I can offer in this area is to pay a professional to get it right.

 

[MoonRise]

Lighting can be described by three values.

Intensity (lumens) - how much light there actually is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lumen_(unit)

CCT (aka color, like 2700K or 500K) - the color 'temperature' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_temperature#Correlated_color_temperature

CRI (color rendering index, how close the light produced comes to representing the color spectrum of sunlight or another black body light source) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_rendering_index

All three together describe the light. All three matter to describe and to characterize the light.

example: 5000k LEDs with a CRI of 65 will look terrible. 4500K LEDs with a CRI of 98 will probably look pretty good.

But as mentioned, a bit of what you want depends on what you 'like'. Some folks like 4000K light sources, some like 5000K light sources, some like 3500K light sources.

 

[yeldogt]

Sure has to beat a 4ft fluorescent in the middle of the kitchen that casts a shadow in front of you no matter where you stand. Proper kitchen light layering and placement is an art form that is easy to mess up. Best advice I can offer in this area is to pay a professional to get it right.

Yes, I agree. Hired a lighting architect for a project 20+ years ago ... another example of learning quickly that you don't know much about lighting.

Have never done one since without at least a consultation and simple plan -- pay for a couple of walk throughs.