Installing under cabinet LET strip lighting
 

The first 3 foot section took 6 hours
The second section took 3 hours
The third section took 1 hour

Dang, the LED tape lights are hard to work with at the 10MM width

I have done entire kitchens in that time, over the cabinet and under the cabinet. I would be glad to give you some pointers.

I did my entire kitchen in about 2.5 hours. Purchased LED light kits on Amazon and they contained 'spacer' sections so I didn't have to run lights down the sides of cabinets or under the microwave that's over the stove. Drilled small holes between adjacent cabinets to run the lights and they work perfectly. Even came with a small remote to adjust the brightness. If you would like to know the brand I'll post it here.
Total was about $100, much cheaper than the $600 Liquid Lights wanted to charge.

We had ours installed for $300 and love them.

Had my undercabinet lights installed years ago by an electrician. He placed them at the rear of the cabinet, next to the wall.

I didn't notice until he finished and I came to inspect his work. I was so upset, but it was too late to change it.

As the person who actually works in the kitchen and uses the lights, I would prefer that the undercabinet lights be installed along the front edge of the cabinet, so that they light up the counter where I am working. The wall does not need to be lit up, the workspace does.

There is a lip along the front of the cabinet that can hide the light, or a small piece of molding added.

I agree with lighting up the horizontal surface instead of the vertical surface for positioning. .

This was not a standard install of presectioned lights with connector attached.

The channel was routered into the undercabinet for a 10MM aluminum channel for an 8M light strip, which is on a reel and must be cut with scissors. The 8 MM didn't work, had to be soldered per the manufacturer. That was impossible, i found someone to do it but with a 22 guage wire, broke too esily. so we went with10MM, which has to get pushed over a 9MM width opening.

The 18 GWT wires coming out of the wall are fixed, no sliding and the strip connector is about an inch away, and the strip connectors are wider than the 10 MM channel, so some more routering had to be done, by me with a dremel, though not very well. Of course, 2 out of four are on a ladder. . so If I cut too short, then lots of cussing as the system would not work. So i had to curl the 18 GWT solid wire into a spring shape to get it longer and then into the channel.

To get the connectors to work you have to strip off the plastic weather proof coating on the LED strips to expose the actual copper connectors, and then overtightening them onto the LED strip caused the connection to fail. So the connectors had very tiny screws and dould not be tightened hard and then the whole assembly was twisted up into place, which sometimes caused the connector to fail, circuit opened

The issue was mostly by gradient progressive lenses aren't made for this type of microscopic work. All this is on a 20K feature wall which goes 18 ft high, so I am not quite wanting to hack it up as its all exposed to be seen

Yes, please tell us the brand.

Wouldn't want to break any rules but if it's allowed here I'd love to see what brand you used. Thinking about doing ours also.

ThanX,
Roger from NJ

Will you share the installer's name? Both our over and under cabinets (installed by former owner, I think a DIY job) have failed. We had an electrician estimate $1000 to replace. He charged us $50 for the estimate that would be applied to the price. We said yes, he left, never came back despite several attempts to contact him. And yes, he was a registered electrician.


That was two years ago. We'd still like to have this done.

I would have to see your installation, but I have installed the LED strip lights on 15 foot rolls with 3M tape on several houses, ours 8 years ago. It sounds like this project was made more difficult than necessary. Unless the wall is outside or otherwise subjected to very high moisture, the NON waterproof LEDs work fine and are easily soldered, and these are the only ones I use and and I only use soldered connections, 18 to 20 gauge twisted wire. Let me know if you would like to discuss over the phone, or I could possibly come over and take a look. I do not publish my contact info on open forums, so use a private message.

Thanks, but its done, and I am in Snowchussetts. I am just bitching because the job was made more difficult by the improper specs in the first place. There was no room for twisted wire from 18 GWT solid to LED strip. within one inch in a 10 MM channel, or at least that I could see or do.

You are a professional tinkerer, beyond my hacking skills

Success looks good.

I used two sets of these for the under cabinet lights and the light over the wine rack: Amazon.com

I also had to buy another accessory pack because I needed spacers for running up between the cabinets to link the upper and lower lights: Amazon.com

For the upper cabinets I used the same brand and color, but a 32 foot length: Amazon.com

Make sure you have a plug with a dedicated wall switch, that makes things a lot easier. And also make sure you pick the correct color lights for your application, and that the kits you purchase match.

Of the agreements the wife and I negotiated before I agreed to move to TV was I don't do Honey Do's home improvements. Mow the yard or power wash the house. I can do the work but arthritis slaps me upside the head and tells me I'm an idiot. I came here to play and have a good time. We are fortunate that we can afford to pay someone to do it, and it helps the local economy.

One thing that always runs through my mind is "How much is my time worth?" Something like these LED's, it's a no-brainer to do it myself. I have the skill set, it's minimal time, it gives me the feeling of accomplishment, and I saved $500 that I could use for something else. Same thing with painting even though it's mind-numbingly boring.

There are things I'll gladly let someone else do, like digging out and replacing bushes or any work that is higher than a 6 foot ladder.