These can be purchased in various lengths and they are easily cut to size. My recommendation is to avoid this as an option and find a way to hide your wires behind or inside of the cabinets. It also protects the wire from being damaged. These look better than seeing a wire which will almost never run in a straight line. You can find them in finishes that may work for you. If you have to run your wires down a wall or somewhere else that will be very visible, then you may want to consider using a cable protector. Using Wire Channel Strips to Hide Under Cabinet Lighting Wires The good news is you can test various clips and change them if they are not working for you. There are clips like the one pictured to the right below that use an adhesive backing that are not a bad alternative. I also prefer not to use the ones that have a small nail as pictured to the left below. You can use small thin wire staples, but I personally do not like the idea of hammering those into the bottom of my cabinets. There may be a span underneath the cabinets where the wire is hanging down and you need to pin it up. Using Clips to Hide Under Cabinet Lighting Wires You can see the shelves also helped to pin the wire up against the cabinet frame in the second picture without the need for clips. See the pictures below to see what I mean. If through the front, it is much easier to hide. If the wire is at the rear, you will probably see those wires every time you open the cabinets. My recommendation is to run the wires down through the front. When you pull the wires through the cabinets, you have two choices. A perfect way to hide the wires that way. I was also installing crown molding around the entire kitchen and it provided me with the opportunity to have the wires behind that molding too. I did this because I was not able to run the wires through the walls behind the cabinets. Hiding Under Cabinet Lighting Wires Inside of the Cabinetsĭuring my cabinet lighting install, I decided to run the wires through the inside of the cabinets starting at the top and exiting the bottom.
The placement of your lights should be about how the light projects across your counter and back splash and not about hiding wires. If you happen to choose the option pictured below where the fixture is mounted to the back of the cabinet and up against the wall, you will not see any wires at all. This is another topic that we will spend more time discussing in another article because it deserves to be its own topic of discussion. Placement of Your Under Cabinet Lighting Fixtures
UNDER COUNTER TASK LED WARM LIGHT WIRED HOW TO
We will spend more time in another article that will focus on how to run under cabinet lighting wires. If you are running your wires through the cabinets or from some other location, then hiding wires will be a bigger deal for you. If you do this, it will minimize the wire exposure and the wires will essentially be hidden behind the wall. When you are running your wires, you have options to go behind the wall and then pop out just under your cabinet where the fixture will get installed as described in the next section below. Options When Running Your Under Cabinet Lighting Wires During Installation
Although I do not suggest selecting a light fixture with the wire as the main deciding factor, you can use it as the final decision maker if you are torn between two fixtures.
UNDER COUNTER TASK LED WARM LIGHT WIRED INSTALL
The thinner the wire, the easier it will be to hide, and will also be easier to install when it comes to bending around corners. Some will use low voltage wires which as a thinner gauge and others will use 120 volt wire that is a thicker 14 gauge wire. When you are choosing the lighting that is best for you, I suggest paying close attention to the required wiring for that fixture. Using wire channel strips to hide under cabinet lighting wiresĬhoosing the Appropriate Gauge Wire for Your Under Cabinet Lighting Project.Using clips to hide under cabinet lighting wires.Hiding under cabinet lighting wires inside of the cabinets.Placement of your under cabinet light fixture.Options when running your under cabinet lighting wires during install.Choosing the appropriate gauge wire for your under cabinet lighting project.Here is an under cabinet wiring checklist that we will discuss throughout the article: If your lighting is already installed, there are still options that should work for you. Hiding under cabinet lighting wires is easy but it is something you should plan out before you begin your project. If you are installing under cabinet lighting, you may be concerned with how to hide the wires. 3 Shares How to Hide Under Cabinet Lighting Wires