Do it Yourself: Re: [DIY] under cabinet lights

02 February 2013

Re: [DIY] under cabinet lights

for running the wires to each light, instead of ripping up drywall or pulling the cabinets out to wire

behind them, you could run them against the wall right under the cabinets and cover them with a

small, thin strip of molding matching the color of the cabinets...or paint to match the walls.

-aki

On Fri, Feb 1, 2013 at 4:22 PM, Mike Shoaf <mike.shoaf@yahoo.com> wrote:

you will need to get a cable from the switch to the lights. the disposal is probably wired in with your dishwasher on a 20-amp circuit, so you will need to use 12-gauge wire or use a different circuit for the lights. if your stove vent utilizes a receptacle in the cabinet above the stove, it is probably on the kitchen lighting circuit. this might give you a convenient place to get power from, especially if you choose low voltage lighting and plug in the transformer at the vent/exhaust fan. if in doubt, consult an electrician!

From: Lee M-S <steiconi@gmail.com>
To: DoIt_Yourself@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, February 1, 2013 3:07 PM
Subject: Re: [DIY] under cabinet lights

Thank you Mike and Aki!
I didn't even think of LEDs, that would be perfect.
And thanks for the links; I checked at Home Depot the other day, and all they had was rope lights.

Now for the scary part: I have a wall switch for the garbage disposal which was never installed, and I'd like to repurpose that for the under cabinet lights.
Do I have to open up the sheet rock to do this? Fortunately, there's no backsplash now, and I'll be putting one in later, so I can hide a lot of sins.
Thanks,
Lee

At 08:40 AM 2/1/2013, you wrote:

Beauty of going with LED is the low voltage wiring which makes routing much less cumbersome, more flexible and safer than 110v
I would avoid CFL for several reasons:
* Requires 110v wiring,
* contains Mercury in the bulbs,
* Title 24 code requires that only CFL with special base be used so one can not unscrew and put in regular incandescent bulbs in.
* Warm up time delay to full brightness.
* Shorter lifespan than LEDs.

Here are some LED options to consider:

http://www.tmart.com/Other-Lights/

-S-

--- In mailto:DoIt_Yourself%40yahoogroups.com, Mike Shoaf wrote:
>
> here is a link:
> Â
> http://www.legrand.us/adorne/select/under-cabinet-lighting-power.aspx#.UQcQycoo7bX
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Mike Shoaf