LED Strip Lights are a highly versatile form of effects lighting with a huge range of applications. One of the most popular places to use strip lights is in the kitchen. Homeowners choose LED Lights for their kitchen because they are perfect for creating a layered lighting scheme.
What we mean by this is that a kitchen with inadequate lighting can be a hassle. Kitchens rely on high quality lighting to help assist concentration intensive tasks, such as food preparation. Sometimes a single light source is unable to provide the necessary illumination required for surface top work underneath kitchen cabinets. You might not be able to see whether your chicken is cooked fully or how much seasoning you have put on your food. Food preparation requires an attention to detail that demands another layer of light in your kitchen to shed some light on the situation.
These Lights are the best choice for upgrading your kitchen lighting. Their flexible design enables users to install them in tight, enclosed spaces, while their linear design makes them perfect for trailing along straight edges. They are also very energy efficient. A single meter of strip will use anything as little as 7.4 watts, which is very impressive for effects lighting.
By installing strips onto the underside of a kitchen cabinet you will create a splash of concentrated illumination that is ideal for working by. They will immediately remove any shadow from work surfaces and allow you to see clearly what you are doing at all times. This is especially important when you are dealing with raw foods and sharp utensils.
Installation is very straightforward, but before you even buy your LED strips it is worth looking around the kitchen walls and identifying all of the available electrical outlets. The installation should always begin from your outlets as ultimately they have to be able to reach a power source. If you have a single outlet then you will have to work from here. If you have multiple outlets then you should choose the one closest to where you want to install your lighting. Ideally you will want to use the socket farthest to the left or right of your cabinets.
You should always bear in mind that the power cable connecting the strip light to the wall socket, including the transformer and CAT lead, is approximately two meters in length. If you plan on installing your lights over two metres from a socket then you will need an extension lead. If you already have your lights at this point then simply line the power cable up to see if it will reach. If not you should be able to make a decent estimate using a tape measure.
Before buying any strip lights it is a good idea to take measurements. All light can be ordered to bespoke lengths, so measure the horizontal edge of your kitchen cabinets and provide this measurement to the retailer who will be able to cut and solder your strip lights to the exact length you require. This will mean you are paying no more than you actually have to.
It is worth remembering that the width of an LED strip is about a centimetre. This means they can fit into very tight crevices.
In the past it was necessary to use special mounts to secure strip lights in place. However, most strip lights are now available with a 3M adhesive backing, so can be stuck straight down onto a surface. It is a good idea to give the surface a quick clean beforehand to ensure there is no dirt interfering with the adhesive. When you stick your strip light down take your time and ensure that it lines up perfectly with the horizontal edge of your cabinets.
Plugging up to the power couldn't be easier. LED Strip Lights use a 12 V transformer similar to those on lap top chargers that steps the mains voltage down from 240 V. All you have to do is plug in the Cat cable and link the trailing wires up to the LED Strip Light itself. Plug the power cable into the outlet and you're ready to go.
This entire process shouldn't take more than half an hour, depending on how much lighting you are installing and how complex the task. In this tutorial we have only described the installation of a single straight strip of LED Lighting on a flat surface. If you intend on creating larger light setups, using RGB LED or trailing your strip lights around corners then do seek professional advice.
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