Is your kitchen appearing shady and dark? An increase in the kitchen lighting using under cabinet can solve the problem.
Installing the best cabinet lighting can brighten and make your kitchen more attractive and inviting.
Under cabinet lighting is also known as task lighting. The purpose of using under cabinet lighting is to eliminate darkness on the kitchen cabinets and cooking area.
However, there are two things to consider while buying under cabinet lights: under cabinet lighting bulb type and its fixture style.
Under Cabinet Kitchen Lighting – Bulb Types
Fluorescent, incandescent, halogen, and xenon are the main under cabinet kitchen lighting bulb types that suits any kitchen model.
Fluorescent bulb is most widely used under cabinet kitchen lighting type. It is durable, energy-efficient, and creates a brighter effect in the cooking area through the activation of the phosphor covering on the inner surface of a glass casing.
Incandescent bulb is the most traditional and least expensive type of under cabinet kitchen lighting. It emits light through a radiant filament. It is not as much brighter as the fluorescent type. It is not energy-efficient, but lasts for a maximum of 1000 hours. It can be dimmed easily for emitting soft lighting during nights.
Halogen bulb emits a white brighter light through the halogen gas. The halogen gas causes the bulb to burn hot, but using specifically designed fixtures designed for halogen bulb reduces the burning by absorbing the heat. It is not as sensitive as fluorescent light. Its durability is more than incandescent bulb, maximum of 2000 hours.
Xenon bulb emits a soft light through xenon gas. Although it emits soft light, it is brighter enough to work in the cooking area. Its energy-efficiency is as similar as halogen bulb, but it lasts for a maximum of 10,000 hours and burns very less.
Under Cabinet Kitchen Lighting – Fixture Styles
Once you select the best under cabinet kitchen lighting bulb that suits your purpose, consider finding the right fixture for your cabinet bulb. Puck, stand alone units, and track are the main types of under cabinet kitchen lighting fixtures. The fixture can be a plug-in unit or electrical hard wire unit.
Prefer hard-wire fixtures while building or remodeling a kitchen. In this, the wiring of the lights are inserted directly into the electrical unit and can be used easily by a wall switch. Plug-in units are best when adding lights to the existing cabinets. It is easy to install and requires no wiring. A built-in on/off switch is attached to the fixture for easy usage.
Puck light is also known as button light. It is in the shape of a hockey puck. It is best for xenon or halogen bulbs. It needs two or more plug-in units to be wired together. It is a shallow fixture with low-voltage. It gives more flexibility than other fixtures.
Stand alone unit is usually rectangular shaped fixture that can be mounted in a straight line under cabinets. More than one fixture is needed for more lighting in a larger space. It is available in both plug-in and hard-wire units and best suited for fluorescent, xenon, and halogen bulbs.
Track light is also called low voltage linear light. It needs a hard-wire model to offer a full, even light. Xenon bulbs are best suited. This fixture allows the bulb to be added by you whenever required.
