Installing Fluorescent Under Cabinet Lighting

If you want to light work surfaces under cabinets, you might consider installing a fluorescent under-cabinet lighting system. These types of under cabinet wiring come in two different types, the first type is a simple installation in which you just plug the lights into the socket, and install the individual lights into the cabinet, while the other is much more complicated, and involves wiring a circuit. How much work you want to put into installing fluorescent lights under cabinet lighting depends upon the effect that you want the lights to have. Basic lighting systems will provide all the light that you need, but may not be considered important by those looking at the system from another position.

Step 1 - Purchase Fluorescent Lighting

There are many places where you can buy florescent under cabinet lighting, both with sockets, and those needing to be wired into place. Before you purchase any form of lighting, learn how much the light bulbs will cost to replace, what kind of voltage the system needs, and whether you will have to do any kind of manual wiring. If this is the first time you have installed under cabinet lighting, you would be better off purchasing a lighting system which already has a socket, rather than one that needs a full wiring system.

Step 2 - Cut the Cabinet

Once you have your lighting in place, you will need to start installing it in the cabinets. Make sure that everything inside the cupboards is removed before you install the lighting, and then trail the lights across your cabinet. Mark where you think the lights should go, and then make the first hole using your drill. You can then widen the hole by cutting it with the hacksaw, until you finally have a large enough space for the bulb to pass through.

Step 3 - Fit the Wires

Undercabinet lighting wires can be installed one of two ways. You can pass the loose end of the wire, which will be connected to the plug, in and out of the holes you are making, adding the bulb  connection when it passes through the cabinet, or you can make a hole in the side of the cabinet, and pass the wire across. You can do either of these, depending upon what you feel would be best for your own home.

Step 4 - Fit the Bulb

You should now be ready to fit the bulb. The bulb supports should be laying just inside the cabinet. Take your bulb, and push it through the hole you made in the cabinet, until you can screw on the support. Inside the support are connections to the electricity, so install them carefully. Once this is done, you can add the plug onto the end of the wire, and attach it to a socket. Turn on your lights to check that they all work correctly.