How to Install Under Cabinet Lighting

Under cabinet lighting is one of the top trends for modern kitchen lighting design. They provide a sleek, hidden illumination to your space that also functions as task lighting. Use under cabinet lighting in your kitchen, bathroom, or workshop to enhance the look of your space and your work efficiency.

Typically, contractors will install under cabinet lighting during the building process or during a full kitchen remodel. If you're not interested in large-scale renovations, install under cabinet lighting without disrupting existing cabinetry.

Types of Undercabinet Lighting

Depending on the type of under cabinet fixture, there are a few different ways you can install them. Many under cabinet lights are plug-in or battery operated for a non-disruptive installation process.

Plug-in under cabinet lights simply plug into a standard outlet, with no wire splicing or weaving required. Battery operated under cabinet lights also have straightforward installations, typically only requiring small amounts of drilling at most. The only inconvenience with them is the need to constantly monitor battery life. Hard wire under cabinet lights, on the other hand, will likely require the help of a professional electrician.

The three main styles of under cabinet lighting are strip lights, linear lights, and puck lights.

Strip lights come in a few different variations, the main two being tape lights and rope lights. Tape lights have a simple adhesive backing that sticks them directly to the underside of the cabinet. Rope lights fasten to the cabinet with plastic clips or brackets secured by screws. Most LED strip lights plug straight into standard outlets and have little to no extra wiring to deal with.

Linear and puck under cabinet lights have much more variety among their fixtures. Battery-powered puck lights are the easiest to install, as they typically only use an adhesive attachment. However, these are not always convenient as they require you to switch each fixture on and off individually. They also require more maintenance because of the regular need for battery replacement.

Linear bar lights are often linkable, meaning they can fit together with electric connectors on each fixture. This means that you can plug one fixture into the wall, and it will supply power to the entire chain of lights. Long lines of linear under cabinet lights provide even, unobstructed light distribution.

In cases where you don’t have access to an outlet, or you don’t want to worry about replacing batteries, consider hard wiring. Hard wire under cabinet lighting is a complex installation process, but the results allow you to control all your lights from one switch. Hardwired LED under cabinet lighting also saves more energy while being the most convenient to operate after installation.

To begin the wiring process, you’ll first need to measure your cabinets. This will help you determine how many light fixtures you can fit along the length. Linear fixtures typically have measurements that fit various standard wall cabinet lengths. If you’re installing linear under cabinet lights, the best method is to fit one light bar per cabinet.

For puck lights, spacing them a proper distance apart is key to avoiding shadows and glare. The higher the wattage, the brighter the light and the further apart the fixtures can be. On average, you can space puck lights about 8-12 inches apart to achieve ideal levels of light distribution.

Hardwiring

Once you’ve acquired your fixtures and decided on placement, you can then set up the power source. Most hard wire under cabinet lights can splice directly into your kitchen's main power line. But before working with wiring, be sure to shut off the power at your electrical box to eliminate shock and damage risks.

For hard wiring, you will need a junction box for the power supply, and a switch box to control the lights from. You can typically hide the junction box in the back of a bottom cabinet, then drill a hole through the top. The wires can run along the back wall to each individual fixture, and you can wrap them in colored coverings so they blend in. The switch box, which you install on the wall, can also contain a dimmer switch for more expanded controls.

You should also make sure that you’re not going to overload the circuit that powers the junction box. You can do this by calculating the total wattage of your lights in combination with anything else that will draw power from the circuit. If the total exceeds the capacity of your circuit, then you will need to split your lights and appliances across more than one circuit.

Most standard household circuits have amperages of 15-amp or 20-amp. Electricians recommend a maximum load of 1,440 watts for a 15-amp circuit, and 1,920 watts for a 20-amp circuit. LED lighting is more energy efficient, meaning that it uses less watts to produce greater amounts of light. So, to minimize the complexity of your installation, consider LED under cabinet lighting as opposed to incandescent or fluorescent.

If you're comfortable splicing wires yourself, then you can connect and test them without the help of an electrician. However, we recommend consulting a professional regardless to inspect the work. Certified electricians are best at completing hard wiring projects safely and efficiently.

HomElectrical offers selections of battery-operated, hard wire, and plug-in under cabinet lighting of all different fixture types. If you're starting a new lighting project in your kitchen, browse our LED under cabinet fixtures to find the perfect lights for you.