| LED tape in a channel | Puck lights | |
|---|---|---|
| Light on the counter | Even, continuous line | Pools of light with darker gaps |
| What you see | Nothing, if the channel sits behind a light rail | Small round fixtures, unless recessed |
| Fits short or broken runs | Yes, cut to length | Yes, one per cabinet |
| Reflections on a glossy counter | A soft line | Bright dots |
| Best for | Work surfaces and long runs | Accent light and glass cabinets |
Why decide lighting and outlets during cabinet design?
Under-cabinet lighting looks simple: a strip of light under the upper cabinets. In practice it touches three trades at once. The electrician has to bring power to the right spot, the cabinetmaker has to leave somewhere for the light, the wire and the driver to go, and the tile setter has to know where the outlets will be before the backsplash goes up.
When those decisions are made during design, the cabinets are built around them: a recessed bottom or a light rail to hide the fixtures, a hole drilled in the right place for the wire, and a cabinet with room for the driver. When they are made after the cabinets are installed, the electrician is working around finished boxes and a finished wall, and the result is usually visible wiring, fixtures you can see from the table, and a higher bill.
How do you hide under-cabinet lights?
The light has to sit below the cabinet, and the trick is stopping anyone from seeing it. There are two ways a cabinetmaker does that.
- A light rail. A strip of trim along the front bottom edge of the upper cabinets, which hangs down below the box. The light sits behind it. A rail around 3/4 inch deep hides a slim LED channel well; a deeper rail hides more, but you see more of the rail.
- A recessed bottom. The cabinet bottom is set up from the bottom of the sides and face, which creates a shallow pocket for the light without adding trim. On frameless cabinets this keeps the clean, flat look.
Either way, the depth has to be decided before the cabinets are built, because it changes how the uppers are made. If you are still settling where the uppers sit, our guide to upper cabinet height covers the spacing above the counter.
LED tape or puck lights?
For lighting the counter you work on, LED tape in an aluminium channel is usually the better choice. It gives an even line of light with no dark gaps between fixtures, and the channel with a frosted lens softens the individual diodes so you do not see a row of dots reflected in a polished countertop. It can be cut to the length of each cabinet run.
Puck lights are small round fixtures, one or two per cabinet. They throw pools of light rather than a line, which suits accent lighting, inside glass-front cabinets, or a short run where an even wash does not matter.
What colour of light should you choose?
LEDs are sold by colour temperature, measured in kelvin. As general industry guidance:
- 2700K to 3000K is warm, close to a traditional bulb, and suits wood, cream and warm painted finishes.
- 3000K to 3500K is neutral, a little crisper, and suits white kitchens and cooler stone.
Match the under-cabinet lights to the ceiling lights so the kitchen does not have two different colours of white. Also look for a CRI of 90 or above. CRI measures how accurately a light shows colour; a low-CRI strip makes food, wood and paint look flat or slightly green.
Where does the driver go?
Most LED tape runs on low voltage, so it needs a driver (a transformer) to convert household power. The driver gets warm and will eventually need replacing, so it must stay accessible: never sealed behind drywall or a fixed panel. The usual places are inside an upper cabinet, above the upper cabinets if there is space below the ceiling, or in a nearby cabinet with a removable panel. Deciding this during design means the cabinetmaker can leave room for it and drill a neat path for the wire, instead of the electrician cutting holes in finished cabinets.
Hardwired or plug-in?
Hardwired lights connect to the house wiring and switch from the wall, often with a dimmer. They need an electrician and are the tidy, permanent answer for a remodel. Plug-in kits run off an outlet, often with a switch on the cord or the fixture. They suit a quick upgrade in a kitchen that is not being remodelled, but the cord has to go somewhere, and in a new kitchen there is rarely a reason to choose them.
Can outlets go under the cabinets instead of on the backsplash?
Yes. Outlet strips (sometimes called plug-mold) mount under the upper cabinets, behind the same light rail or in the same recess as the lights, and leave the backsplash with no cover plates at all. That is the look most people want behind a full-height stone or tile backsplash. The trade-offs are that the outlets point down, so plugs and cords hang below the cabinets, and they need a cabinet above them, so stretches of counter with no uppers still need outlets somewhere else.
A light rail around 3/4 inch deep is enough to hide a slim strip on frameless cabinets, which is exactly the question one homeowner asked. The strip has to be chosen before the rail depth is fixed, so the two are drawn together.
Countertop outlets are covered by electrical code, including how far apart they can be along the counter and what protection they need, such as GFCI and AFCI. Requirements vary by location and change over time, so a licensed electrician should confirm what applies in your area before the layout is final.
What drives the cost of under-cabinet lighting?
If a quote looks high for a small kitchen, it helps to know what is in it. The main drivers are:
- Length and number of runs. Three short runs broken by a hood and a window need more connections than one long run.
- The fixtures. High-CRI tape, aluminium channels and lenses cost more than bare tape, and look much better.
- Dimming and controls. A dimmer, and a driver that is compatible with it, adds parts and wiring.
- The driver location. A driver that has to be hidden but accessible takes planning and sometimes extra wiring.
- Electrician access. This is often the biggest one. With the walls open during a remodel, running power is straightforward. With finished walls, the electrician has to fish wires and patch, and that is labour.
- Outlet strips. Swapping backsplash outlets for under-cabinet strips changes the wiring plan.
A small kitchen does not always mean a small lighting job. A short run with finished walls, a dimmer and an awkward driver location can cost more than a long run in a gutted room.
What is the cabinetmaker’s part?
The cabinetmaker does not install the lights, but decides whether they will look built-in or added on. At Crafted Cabinetry we draw it in during design: the light rail or recessed bottom, the wire chases through the boxes, and a cabinet with room for the driver. Every cabinet is built in our Concord shop to your measurements in 1/16-inch increments, from plywood boxes, and arrives fully assembled with the details already in place for your electrician. All of it is part of the fixed-price quote agreed before production starts. To talk through a lighting plan, call Sean on (925) 849-4110.
Frequently asked questions
Why is under-cabinet lighting so expensive?
Most of the cost is usually labour, not the lights. Running power to several short runs, hiding a driver and wiring a dimmer behind finished walls takes an electrician time. Planning it during cabinet design, with the walls open, keeps it simpler.
Is LED tape better than puck lights under cabinets?
For lighting a work surface, usually yes. LED tape in a channel gives an even line of light with no dark gaps. Puck lights suit accent lighting and glass-front cabinets.
Can you put outlets under kitchen cabinets?
Yes. Outlet strips mount under the upper cabinets, behind a light rail, and leave the backsplash clear. A licensed electrician should confirm the local code requirements for countertop outlets before the layout is final.
Does Crafted Cabinetry install under-cabinet lighting?
We build for it rather than wire it. Light rails or recessed bottoms, wire chases and room for the driver are drawn into the cabinets during design, ready for your electrician.
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