The Easiest Way to Add Lights Under Kitchen Cabinets

Looking for the easiest way to add task lighting to the underside of your cabinets? In today’s post, I am giving step-by-step instructions on how to install under-cabinet lighting in your kitchen- no electrical work required!…

While I am still in awe of the fact that I managed to manifest a kitchen with tall vaulted ceilings at my price point, I never realized just how tricky it would be to add additional light sources to the space. You see..

In a perfect world, I would be blessed with attic access to easily install an additional power source for recessed lighting- ultimately enhancing the illumination of the two lonely pendant fixtures already installed over my island.

But because there is no attic over the vaulted ceilings, there is no straightforward way to conceal an electrical box or wiring.

As a result, adding any additional overhead hard-wired lights is, much to my dismay, out of the question for now. Womp.. Womp!

But thanks to rapid advances in home technology, there are now so freakin’ many cheap and DIY-friendly ways to add additional light sources to your space.

In fact, for under $20 and less than a half hour of my time, I was able to add dimmable LED light bars to the bottom of my upper cabinets- dramatically brightening my poorly lit kitchen. Let me show you how!

**For your shopping convenience, this post contains affiliate links. As a Reward Style and Amazon affiliate, I earn commission on sales at no extra cost to you.**

How To Install Under Cabinet Lighting:

(Step 1.) Determine the type of lighting best for your unique needs.

Before purchasing any sort of under-cabinet lights, you first need to assess your electrical situation. Is there a power supply near your cabinets? Luckily for me, there was an electrical outlet located in ideal proximity to the bottom of the cabinet.

Not to fear, if you do not have an outlet nearby, you can always use battery-powered puck lights.

While I was initially considering using puck lights myself, given that I like to keep my under-cabinet lights on overnight, I was afraid this method would amount to me spending way too much moolah on AA batteries. That being said, there are puck lights that you can operate with a remote and timer option.

(Step 2). Measure the area under your cabinets to determine how much lighting you will need to purchase.

Ultimately, I chose these 12-inch plugin LED light bars that came in a pack of 3. For an under cabinet width of 103”, I have found them to be the perfect amount of lighting.

Not only did I love the price (less than $20..hello!), I like that you can control the color temperature and brightness all with the touch of a button. That being said, I do sometimes have issues with the remote control(not sure if I got a lemon or what). Nonetheless, I can still control the lights from a master button attached to the actual wiring.

(Step 3). Attach the light strips together with the provided wiring and wire connector.

Tip: If you are using puck lights, this is when you will want to put the required amount of batteries in your lighting.

(Step 4). Next, place the strips of adhesive on the back of the lights. Lucky for me, all of this was included with this lighting I purchased.

Tip: If adhesive backing did not come with your lights, you can always use command strips. In fact, I did this on a previous DIY lighting project.

(Step 5). Attach the LED strips to the bottom of the cabinet.

While we experimented with placing the new lights towards the front of the cabinets, we preferred them placed in the middle of the depth of the cabinets.

(Step 6). Using the provided wire hooks, tuck away the excess drooping of the white wires.

Tip: If your lighting did not come with these, you can always use electrical tape.

(Step 7). Once you have tucked away the slack in your white wires, you will probably need to do the same with the black wire attached to the power cord.

Now you are ready to plug in your lights and enjoy them!

How freakin’ easy is that for some additional kitchen lighting? No need to pay an arm and a leg for a professional electrician either!

I am truly so happy with the warm light that the 2700K setting on the remote emits.

While at full force the linear lights kick out some pretty bright light, for ambiance I actually prefer the accent lighting dimmed just a bit.

Additional DIY-Friendly Cabinet Lighting Options:

If you are a complete stickler for perfection in terms of even distribution of light, one continuous strip of led lighting would certainly accomplish this effect…

As you can see in the photo above, the previous owners of our home had stapled led light strips to the underside of the cabinet. And while it emitted adequate light, I just couldn’t get over the orange tone emitted by this particular lighting.

To match the surrounding light temperature, I was going for more of a soft, yellowish light and am much more satisfied with how the new kitchen cabinet lighting now appears…

At the end of the day, while there are number of different types of lights to choose from on Amazon, it is important you are mindful of your surrounding light tones so that you have a cohesive feel in your space.

Thank you so much for stopping by and spending some time with me this week!

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Now get out there and design some vibes along with a fabulous life!