Under cabinet lighting is not your only option when it comes to adding LEDs to your kitchen. Glass cabinet lighting serves as a great source of accent lighting, helping to make your cabinets pop and your glassware glow. After years of design consultations, our expert Lighting Designers have found the easiest way to install glass cabinet lighting is an upside-down “U” position along the front of your cabinet. This ensures an even distribution of light throughout the cabinet while ensuring the LED light strips stay hidden when glass cabinet doors are closed.
Items you will need to complete this project:
- Drill and drill bit
- Screw driver
- Normal Bright Flexible Strip
- Cable (or power supply depending on system set up)
Step 1:
Prep
- Remove the shelving, and the cabinet door(s).
Step 2:
Drill a hole
- In order to allow cable (and therefore power) to pass through to your LEDs, you will need to drill a small entry hole to your cabinet.
- The ideal location for your hole will vary depending on your set-up, but typically, when connecting to an under-cabinet lighting system, you’ll want to drill through the front left or the front right bottom corner of your cabinet.
- On the other hand, if you are connecting to a run of lights above your cabinets you may want to drill a hole near the top center of the cabinet. This will allow you to connect to a mid-connector in the middle of your LED strip, powering down each side.
Step 3: Install the Flexible LED Strip
- Inspired LED recommends installing your flexible LED strip in an upside-down “U” shape.
- Start at one side of the cabinet to apply the flexible strip. You may want to draw a line along the inside of the cabinet for guidance. Work your way around the front perimeter of the cabinet, keeping it as close to the front as possible to avoid interference with shelving or door hinges.
- Continue around the cabinet, peeling the adhesive as you go.
- When approaching a corner don’t be afraid to bend the flexible strip. Just be conscious of the resistors and solder joints(silver dots) which are fragile.
Step 4: Finishing touches
- Note that everything is in place, then plug in the lights to ensure they are working properly.
- Then, simply re-attach the door to the cabinet.
- Installing Flexible Strips for Glass Cabinet Lighting
Lighting the cabinet with a single flexible strip allows for even distribution of light across the entire cabinet. This is unlike puck lights which can create a “spotlight” effect inside a cabinet, only providing light for the upper shelf. This installation is preferential if your shelves are wood or glass!
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But it is highly unlikely ever to happen because we only offer guaranteed quality products and customer satisfaction.
This is for hardwired under-cabinet LED lighting using a dimmable hardwired transformer, compatible wall switch dimmer, custom in-wall cable, and our flexible LED strips.
Measure available space for flex:
The first step in any system is determining how many flexible LED strips you need to complete hardwired under-cabinet lighting. Start by measuring out the area you will be installing the LED strips. For each area where you will be placing an LED strip, subtract 3” from the total. This will give you 1.5″ on each side of the LED strip to leave room for cable connections.
Mounting Options for the flexible LED strips:
Under Cabinet Mounting Options – There are two main methods for achieving hardwired LED under-cabinet lighting. In the first method, the LED strip is mounted on the lip or trim of the cabinet so the LEDs are facing the backsplash. As a result, you will have one continuous light output while highlighting the backsplash and reducing any reflection of the LEDs on the countertop.
Method II
The second method is to install the LED strip 2″ from the front of the cabinet with the LEDs facing straight down to the countertop.
When you opt for under-cabinet LED lighting hardwired using the second method, it will provide more downlight but may leave a reflection of diodes on the countertop. In this setup, the customer decided to mount the LED strips on the lip of the cabinet
Above Cabinet Mounting Options – In this application, the customer decided to mount the LED strips above glass cabinets to give them a nice glow.
The LED strip can be mounted on the frame at the front of the cabinet so that the LEDs face backwards.This will keep everything entirely out of sight. The LED strip can be mounted on the top front of a frameless cabinet with the LEDs facing down.
Make sure to clean the area where you will mount the LED strips with isopropyl alcohol or a strong cleaning solution to remove all dust and dirt. This will ensure a good stick from the LED tape for a long and permanent hold.
Dividers under cabinets:
Usually, there will be dividers under the cabinets where two of the cabinets meet. There are a couple of options to get LED under-cabinet lighting hardwired around this. The second is the option is to drill a ½” hole to pass the LED strip through. Check the instruction sheet to the right labeled ‘LED Strip Mounting Options’ for more info.
Plug-in power supplies are incompatible with any high-voltage wall dimmer/switches and can cause the power supplies to fry.
You should check the instruction sheet to the right labeled ‘How to wire a transformer?’ Make sure the transformer is installed by an electrician or contractor who is licensed.
Source: https://www.inspiredled.com/led-kitchen-lighting/how-to-installing-glass-cabinet-lighting/
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