Under Cabinet LED Lighting Suggestions Please

[65fsbk]

I'm planning on adding under cabinet LED strip lighting under my cabinets that are above my garage counter to light it up.

I also plan to do the same under the kitchen cabinets and under the floating bathroom cabinets to essentially use them as night lights.

The ones that will be providing light for the garage counter need to be pretty bright to get some good lighting but the ones for under the kitchen and bathroom cabinets need to be not so bright since they will be used more for a night light or for effect.

Questions:

I would like to just buy a roll of 100 feet of LED Strip of the brighter ones (~14 lumens per LED) and then use a dimmer on them in the kitchen and bathroom. Is this doable?

Are all LED strip dimmable or are there specific strips that can be dimmed and others not?

I have a switched outlet installed at each location (new build home) so I plan to take the power source from there so I can just use the switch at entry of bathroom, kitchen and garage to turn on LED's.

Any suggestions on which LED strips are better to buy? There's a million options on Amazon.

We get keys to new home in March so any other tips will be greatly appreciated!

 

[Whiskeymike]

This is what I’m looking at for under my kitchen cabinets. You can definitely do cheaper, but not with voice/home automation control.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00R1PB80I/?tag=atomicindus08-20

They also make other kits with connectors for doing different routing and shapes.

Are you going into an outlet? If not, I’ve been wondering how to direct wire in the power transformer.

 

[65fsbk]

This is what I’m looking at for under my kitchen cabinets. You can definitely do cheaper, but not with voice/home automation control.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00R1PB80I/?tag=atomicindus08-20

They also make other kits with connectors for doing different routing and shapes.

Are you going into an outlet? If not, I’ve been wondering how to direct wire in the power transformer.

Cool, I'll have to check those out.

I will be going to an outlet that is wired to a switch. That way I can just control the LEDs off the switch.

 

[quattro_sinko]

Questions:

I would like to just buy a roll of 100 feet of LED Strip of the brighter ones (~14 lumens per LED) and then use a dimmer on them in the kitchen and bathroom. Is this doable?

Likely, but you would probably need dimmers/transformers/plugs(hard wire/) for each run.

Are all LED strip dimmable or are there specific strips that can be dimmed and others not?

I know some are sold as dimmable, some not. I am not sure If that is dependent on the LED, or the transformer

I have a switched outlet installed at each location (new build home) so I plan to take the power source from there so I can just use the switch at entry of bathroom, kitchen and garage to turn on LED's.

Any suggestions on which LED strips are better to buy? There's a million options on Amazon.

I ordered and installed a couple of these. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074N1FC56/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1They are complete (dimmer, transformer, plug) and you can cut to length. I couldn't believe how cheap they were, given the performance and flexibility in length. Dimmers gave a great range of light. They were $15

 

[65fsbk]

Likely, but you would probably need dimmers/transformers/plugs(hard wire/) for each run.



I know some are sold as dimmable, some not. I am not sure If that is dependent on the LED, or the transformer




I ordered and installed a couple of these. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074N1FC56/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1They are complete (dimmer, transformer, plug) and you can cut to length. I couldn't believe how cheap they were, given the performance and flexibility in length. Dimmers gave a great range of light. They were $15

WOW! SOLD!

I'm going to give these a go! At that price it's worth a shot! Thanks

 

[warrens]

Sounds like a plan. Don't forget to post some pics when you're done.

 

[PhysicsDude]

I'm in the process of installing undercabinet lights in the kitchen. I'm using generic $10 per 5m LED strips.

As far as I know, virtually all 12V LED strips are dimmable. In non-dimmable bulbs and fixtures, its typically the driver that determines the dimmability, not the LEDs themselves. In a 12V LED strip the 12V power supply is the driver.

My generic 12V strips dim quite well from generic LED drivers, they sell dimmable 12V LED drivers/power supplies which are easy to hook up.


I'm putting them in aluminum channels, cheaply available online, with diffuses that look great and help diffuse the light.


I personally MUCH prefer hooking the undercabinet lights to a wall switch rather than a self contained smart switch thing that you have to mount somewhere and plug into an outlet. A wall switch is much cleaner, and you can always install a smart wall switch if you want that capability, and it will match the rest of your house switches.

 

[65fsbk]

I'm in the process of installing undercabinet lights in the kitchen. I'm using generic $10 per 5m LED strips.

As far as I know, virtually all 12V LED strips are dimmable. In non-dimmable bulbs and fixtures, its typically the driver that determines the dimmability, not the LEDs themselves. In a 12V LED strip the 12V power supply is the driver.

My generic 12V strips dim quite well from generic LED drivers, they sell dimmable 12V LED drivers/power supplies which are easy to hook up.


I'm putting them in aluminum channels, cheaply available online, with diffuses that look great and help diffuse the light.


I personally MUCH prefer hooking the undercabinet lights to a wall switch rather than a self contained smart switch thing that you have to mount somewhere and plug into an outlet. A wall switch is much cleaner, and you can always install a smart wall switch if you want that capability, and it will match the rest of your house switches.

Cool, thanks for the info!

 

[acer66]

Any updates on this?

 

[65fsbk]

Yes, I installed the led lights that quattro_sinko suggested and they work great!

I'll post pictures tonight

 

[quattro_sinko]

Yes, I installed the led lights that quattro_sinko suggested and they work great!

I'll post pictures tonight

Glad to read they are working out for you. Mine are still burning as brightly (or dimly) as ever!

In for pics!

 

[Backwodsurvivor]

Ive got a extra 4 foot ceiling type strip over my work bench. Leave it plugged in and use the pull chain for when I'm working on finer things that need more light.

 

[65fsbk]

Pix of Kitchen Under Cabinet Lighting

Pic of master bath under cabinet lighting. You would obviously have to have floating cabinets to do this. I love this setup because we use it like a night light so you don't get blasted at night when you wake up to go to the bathroom.

Under kitchen cabinets

Under bathroom cabinets

 

[Platonic Solid]

Am I the only one who doesn't see pics?

Edit: Odd - If I copy the links from a quote - like https://i.imgur.com/10zAKgd.jpg and paste into a new tab, then I see them and only those that I look at this way then appear in your original post.

I'm using Firefox. Tried Chrome = same issue (for me on my work PC anyway)

 

[65fsbk]

Hmmmmm, I see them fine, I'm using Google Chrome browser if that makes a difference?

 

[rlitman]

Hmmmmm, I see them fine, I'm using Google Chrome browser if that makes a difference?

Imgur doesn't support 3rd party image hosting, so the links will work if you copy and paste them, but they won't show up inline for other users here.

 

[acer66]

no pice here either, you can also upload into your album here on gj.

 

[Bert_]

I use led tape light for under cabinet lighting quite a bit. Stay away from the cheap stuff you find on Amazon or similar.

I made that mistake once, thought I would find a better deal when I installed some in my parents kitchen. They have gotten noticably dimmer after about 4 years. The stuff I get from electrical supply for most customers is doing much better. It costs $5-6 a foot vs the Amazon stuff at $25 for a 16' roll.

 

[Glaffer]

For bright light under garage cabinets, take a look at these. They come with mounting clips and are linkable for those of us who want to link them. They're inexpensive too. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HBT3BV...544-a7f28374af8b&pf_rd_r=279ZNJ6CGFZ1XY402NP5
I used them to light my pole barn.

 

[Citation]

Likely, but you would probably need dimmers/transformers/plugs(hard wire/) for each run.



I know some are sold as dimmable, some not. I am not sure If that is dependent on the LED, or the transformer




I ordered and installed a couple of these. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074N1FC56/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1They are complete (dimmer, transformer, plug) and you can cut to length. I couldn't believe how cheap they were, given the performance and flexibility in length. Dimmers gave a great range of light. They were $15

This is basically the same setup I put in my last house. In that kitchen there was no recess under the cabinet and limited access to power. So it was really nice to find an 12V solution. Some of these LED tapes are brighter than other so keep in mind you might need to run a second strip of LEDs.

 

[Platonic Solid]

Here - I edited your post so people can actually see your pics by clicking on the links.

Pix of Kitchen Under Cabinet Lighting
https://i.imgur.com/10zAKgd.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/vkcvjzQ.jpg

Pic of master bath under cabinet lighting. You would obviously have to have floating cabinets to do this. I love this setup because we use it like a night light so you don't get blasted at night when you wake up to go to the bathroom.
https://i.imgur.com/DtThDpY.jpg

Under kitchen cabinets
https://i.imgur.com/NOuZnXJ.jpg

Under bathroom cabinets
https://i.imgur.com/XipA0Pv.jpg

Edit - apparently that doesn't work anymore either - I give up

 

[tab2]

It would be really great if I could find some direct/hardwire models that I like. I have an 89” upper I would like to get some light under.

 

[Citation]

It would be really great if I could find some direct/hardwire models that I like. I have an 89” upper I would like to get some light under.

You kind of can. These lights are typically just 12V power if all you want is full output. Just get a hard wired 12v transformer like you used for architectural lights.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B016FG9NGY/ref=sspa_mw_detail_0?ie=UTF8&psc=1&th=1