If you are investing in a new custom kitchen, you might want to spend sometime looking at the different undercabinet lighting options which are available. Some of the options include: Halogen, Zenon, Fluorescent, L.E.D.
Halogen undercabinet lights come in different styles and colors. Typically, the halogen lights are in the form of Pucks and Light Bars. The pucks are generally about 3" in diameter and have been popular over recent years. The light bars usually come is sizes 12", 18' and 24". The pucks offer a more directed lighting alternative. These lights will not give a consistent lighting pattern under the cabinets. The bars will offer more consistent light but only come in certain sizes. They can be ganged together to produce longer sizes.
The halogen bulbs get very hot and can actually start fires in your home. The bulbs can be a nuisance to change and sometimes require changing quite a bit. Also, the bulbs can be expensive about five dollars each.
Zenon lighting is similar to Halogen but theses light produce less heat. They also come in the light bar and puck option. Zenon Lights are actually a type of specialized Halogen. They still produce a lot of heat although less heat then the regular halogens.
Fluorescent undercabinet lighting typically come in light bar form. There are some new options available for the puck format too. The advantage of these lights is that they don't produce a lot of heat and therefore are much safer to run. The fluorescent light bars have been around a long time and most people are looking for a more up to date option for undercabinet lighting. Also, it can be hard to find the replacement bulbs.
By far the best option available is the high output L.E.D. lighting which offers very low heat, bulbs which require changing about once every 40,000-50,000 hours of use, very low energy costs. The L.E.D. are the wave of the future. They come in Puck form, Low Profile Light Bars, and in 16' rolls which can be cut to almost any size.
The L.E.D. 16' Rolls are the recommending lighting for undercabinets. They are also great for in cabinet lighting. They are very low profile and therefore can be installed almost anywhere. They are very low heat so this is another plus. The bulbs last on average twenty to thirty years and therefore save a lot of money and time over the course of their useful life. Plus they offer about a 90% savings on your energy bill in relation to some of the other undercabinet lighting alternatives. The L.E.D. lighting you see at the home centers is not an industrial grade and therefore is not recommended. The output on home center L.E.D. lighting is very low.
The 16' light strips which can be cut to almost any size gives one better options when installing under a cabinet. The lights can be cut to fit the size of your cabinet and offer full span lighting under your cabinet. A special transformer is also available to allow for the ability to dim these lights. There are people out in the marketplace that are saying that you cannot dim these lights because it shortens their lifespan and output, but that is incorrect. One can dim the L.E.D.'s but they require a special transformer that allows for the correct control of the light source. One most go to a specialty lighting showroom to find these new products. they are not available at home centers. Lastly, whatever lighting source is used on the project, be sure it is UL Listed.
Good Ice Cube Trays For Baby Food Buying Snow Shovels Ergonomic Brother Dr360 Save
No comments:
Post a Comment