Fluorescent Lights, Burgers, Action!

I finally got around to installing under cabinet lighting last week!  I couldn’t decide if I wanted to go the LED route or use fluorescents.  LED lighting last for 10 or 15 years and barely uses any electricity, but are easily 3 times the price of fluorescents.  I ended up going cheap and used fluorescents.  The lights I got were direct-wire fixtures which meant I needed to run my own power to each of them.  I am not an electrician by any means, but I am definitely getting more and more familiar with it since I have completed several projects around the house that required me to add a few electrical outlets.  The whole project came in at $97 (Lowes) and about 3 hours of work.  It could have been done a little quicker, but I tend to work slower to minimize any mistakes when doing a first time learn-as-you-go project.

	I decided to put the switch for the under cabinet lighting on the backsplash under the cabinets.  I drew out where the light switch would go so I could cut out the hole later.  The key here was that I picked a spot that was between the same studs as another electrical outlet.  Doing this allowed me to get power from the existing electrical outlet without having to drill through any studs.
	Next I cut the hole for the light switch and drilled a hole just at the bottom of the cabinet for the Romex #14 wire which I would run to all of the lights (3) in a daisy chain fashion.
	I mounted the light fixture about 2 inches from the front of the cabinet and turned it so the light was being thrown against the backsplash.  I did a bit of research on where to mount the fixture and which direction to point the light and found this arrangement produced the least amount of glare off of the counter top.  Pushing it a couple of inches from the front of the cabinet helped reduce the chance of seeing the fixtures themselves. This photo shows the #14 wire ran into the fixture and the other end of the wire that runs to the next fixture. This was about the point when Angela got home from work and asked if I was going to leave it like that…I mean really.
	Here is the light switch in place with the power running over from the electrical outlet next to it.
	This picture gives you a better idea of where the light was mounted.
	This shows all three under cabinet lights installed.  All that was left was to tack down the Romex.  Not being an electrician, I am not sure this would be up to “code”, but I feel completely safe and at ease with the integrity of the installation.
	Here are the lights in action.  As you can see, plenty bright enough see the food you are preparing.  Each light fixture has its own on/off switch, so you can switch up which lights you have off or on.  Speaking of preparing food…
	Job medium rare done!  Is that real cheese, bacon, onions, and jalapenos in that burger?!?  They’re real…and they’re spectacular!  I’m starting to love these “Cowboy Jalapeno Burgers” from Sprouts.