Brighten Your Home with Under-Cabinet Lighting

By Roselyn James

Under-cabinet lighting, also known as task lighting, is most commonly installed underneath kitchen cabinets in order to eliminate shadows on countertops and cooking areas. It can also be used to brighten workspaces on desks with overhead cabinets, or to highlight family photos in bookshelves and dishes in china cabinets. In addition, it creates a calming and decorative atmosphere in any room of the house. Small and versatile, these lights can be used almost anywhere additional lighting is desired.

When purchasing under cabinet lights, consider both the type of bulbs you want and the type of fixture that best suits your needs. There are many options available. The four main types of bulbs are fluorescent, halogen, incandescent, and xenon.

Fluorescent lights are most commonly found in kitchens and in business settings. They are energy efficient, have a long life, and create a bright work area. However, the light cannot be dimmed and may be too bright for sensitive eyes. Fluorescents also hum and flicker, which may not be desirable.

Halogen bulbs emit a white light. The tone is warm and bright, but not as harsh as fluorescent light. These bulbs last up to 2000 hours. They burn hot, but some fixtures designed specifically for halogen bulbs will absorb the heat.

Incandescent light is warm, but not very bright. The bulbs are the least expensive source of under-cabinet lighting, but they only last up to 1000 hours and are not energy efficient. Like halogen lights, they create a lot of heat. The advantage is that they can easily be dimmed to provide soft lighting at night.

Xenon bulbs also emit a soft light, but they are bright enough for most tasks. Their cost and efficiency is comparable to halogens, but they last up to 10,000 hours and don't create a lot of heat.

Once you know which kind of bulb best serves your purpose, you can choose a fixture accordingly. There are three main types of fixtures: puck lights, stand alone units, and track lights. Some fixtures are plug-in units and some need to be wired into the electrical system.

Puck lights, also called button lights, are about the size of a hockey puck. They come in packs of two or more plug-in units that can be wired together, and they use xenon or halogen bulbs. The design creates triangles of light, which works well for illuminating small areas or showcasing photos, but may not provide enough light for a work area.

Stand alone units are rectangular fixtures that can run the length of a single cabinet. They come in both plug-in and hard-wire models and can use fluorescent, xenon, or halogen bulbs. If light is needed for a larger space, more than one fixture will have to be installed.

Track lights, also known as low voltage linear lights, come in hard-wire models, which use xenon bulbs and provide a full, even light. The design of the fixture allows bulbs to be inserted individually and added or removed as needed.

Hard-wire fixtures are the best choice if you are building or remodeling. Because the lights are wired directly into the electrical system, they can be controlled by a wall switch and there are no cords left exposed.

If you are adding lights to existing cabinets, plug-in units are easiest to install because they don't require any wiring. They are turned on and off with a switch that is built into the fixture and any exposed cords can be painted to help camouflage them.

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