I wanted to add some lighting above my kitchen cabinets. I have switched outlets already in place above the cabinets where I want lights. Does anyone have a suggestion on what type of lighting to use? I want a very smooth, even lighting across the length and I want it to be dimmable at the switch. I was thinking of Xenon bar lights.

Thanks.

-12VMan

 

If you have several inches of space above the cabinet (below the ceiling), then use a standard (2) bulb 4' flour. fixtures end to end. Replace the balast with a dimming ballast, and replace the switch with a flour. dimmer.

The distance between the fixture and the ceiling will allow the light to blend and reflect nicely into the room. There are lots of other options, but they will cost more $$$

 

We used rope lights. It worked out to about a dollar a foot (and we doubled them up to give us a bit more light). You can cut them to length and they are very low amperage draw. They sell 'em at Lowe's and HD.

They give the room a nice depth. We put them on standard dimmers.

 

You can cut them, but not to precise needed length (unless you mind dark lights at the end). The limit is usually 18" segments
There is a mark where you can cut them, or if you can see the wiring inside, you can see where the segment splits are, and cut there.

 

They have stoped doing this now with the high ceilings. But before the cabinets from the ceiling was about 13" down. On top of the cabinets lay a single line of florescent lights with the dimmer ballasts in them. Then there is a small metal strip that goes on the top edge of the cabinets. Also the same metal strip goes on the ceiling out the same 13" out from the cabinets. Now you take the clear or colored dropin panels for thr T bar ceilings 2'x4' or 2'x2'. put the one end in the rail on the ceiling then just bend it till it will pop in the other metal strip on the cabinet. This was called a tray ceiling why I dont know. I hope you can follow this ED

 

If you cut rope lights, how to you prepare the end that was cut? All I see is a solid hunk of plastic and bare wires inside.

 

In the ropelight kit, there should be a cap to cover the end, if
not, you can buy them where you get your roplelight supplies.

If you are talking about connecting things to it, the fittings I
am familiar with (I use the Globe brand), has basically a
bit with two barbed points that insert into the wires (has either a male or female pin connector, like on a portable stereo), and a piece that grips the outer plastic of the rope with a compression nut, and thread coupler to keep connection to whatever you connect it to.

 

I should have been more specific. Mine are cut to the 18" marks, and I didn't have to splice them together since both sets are home runs to the recep. But they do look great!