Cabinets Arrived!

[jyl]

My cabinets have arrived.

Bad pics, sorry. These are my freestanding lower cabinets, in my shop awaiting finishing, countertops, sink fabrication. I hope you can zoom in and see them. They are solid maple, built like beefy dressers, ridiculously heavy. There are adjusters hidden in the legs.





The pantry cabinets are at my house, as I’ll install them first. They are standard plywood carcass construction, also maple, three cabs totalling 68.25” wide exterior dimension and 82.00” tall.

I have the measurements of the pantry cabs to the fraction of an inch, because I needed to demo enough of the pantry cab alcove to make room for the cabs, and it is going to be tight.

The demo included pulling up the tile floor and backer board at the pantry cabs. We’ve talked about that before, and I’m happy to report it wasn’t hard - but messy as all heck. The plywood subfloor stays and I’ll set the cabs on the subfloor with shims.

I have to move an outlet and light/switch to inside the cabs - each cab will have a light and an outlet, and I will look into low-voltage LED lighting. I’m no DIY maven, but am optimistic I can handle this.

[masraum]

Wow, great looking cabinets! Congrats, and I hope it goes well and easy and you love the results!

[look 171]

Hafele has the lighting you need but their catalogue is a pain in the azz. They wouldn't sell to the general public but there are some online companies that acts as vendors that you can buy from. Their LED lights with surface mount track is what you are looking for. They also have hidden switches that mounts to the inside of a panel. With a wave of those dirty hands full of food, they will come on. Requires a 3/8' x 1" hole on the inside of the panel. These LEDs are powerful enough to act as undercabinet task lights but dimmer ones can be had for interior cabinets. A similar switch can also be mounted on every drawer. Light comes on upon opening each drawer. It all runs off the same driver mounted behind a lower cabinet. Tiny wires are only needed and they should be very easy to route. Piece of cake for a smart guy like you, John. If I can do it, you can install them for sure and I am dumb.

Tresco lighting is the other trusty cabinet lighting we use. Let me know if I can help further.

[jyl]

Originally Posted by look 171

Hafele has the lighting you need but their catalogue is a pain in the azz. They wouldn't sell to the general public but there are some online companies that acts as vendors that you can buy from. Their LED lights with surface mount track is what you are looking for. They also have hidden switches that mounts to the inside of a panel. With a wave of those dirty hands full of food, they will come on. Requires a 3/8' x 1" hole on the inside of the panel. These LEDs are powerful enough to act as undercabinet task lights but dimmer ones can be had for interior cabinets. A similar switch can also be mounted on every drawer. Light comes on upon opening each drawer. It all runs off the same driver mounted behind a lower cabinet. Tiny wires are only needed and they should be very easy to route. Piece of cake for a smart guy like you, John. If I can do it, you can install them for sure and I am dumb.

Tresco lighting is the other trusty cabinet lighting we use. Let me know if I can help further.

I don’t think I’m the caliber of homeowner that gets that class of lighting!

I’m thinking more of standard stuff where future me living on a fixed income, or subsequent owner (may be my daughter), can run down to TruValue in 2045 and buy a replacement bulb or switch for $7.99 or, by 2045, $18.99 . . . Of course the problem is that standard stuff isn’t sleek and low-profile, and will take up more room in the cabs.

I have to decide if the middle (as in lower, middle, upper) part of the cabs will be primarily home to counter-top appliances that get used there (mixer, blender, food processor), or food storage. If the latter, I may not need lights. If the former, I want bright “task lighting”, like an LED mini-flood but lower profile.

[look 171]

I am not sure if these will work for your application, but we have had great luck with these and they can be had at various length. On the budget they work very well as under cabinet task lighting. I have them in my own home.

These lights are about 6 years old. We had halogens before and they worked tirelessly for about 13 years.

[jyl]

What are the lights shown in that photo? Thanks.

[look 171]

Sorry, forgot the link. Told ya I am dumb

https://www.amazon.com/Under-Cabinet-Lighting-NSL-Plugged/dp/B07BB3XGB4/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0?pd_rd_w=ZKFK5&content-id=amzn1.sym.8b590b55-908d-4829-9f90-4c8752768e8b%3Aamzn1.symc.40e6a10e-cbc4-4fa5-81e3-4435ff64d03b&pf_rd_p=8b590b55-908d-4829-9f90-4c8752768e8b&pf_rd_r=6A8960CGRXW9HWWBEZX4&pd_rd_wg=qpm5V&pd_rd_r=8cc1da59-6c05-4717-9358-aec597669756&pd_rd_i=B07BB3XGB4&th=1

[look 171]

I know you like to cook, but do you have room for a mixer lift? Those thing can save your back. Have a plug near by or permanently plugged in on the back of the cabinet. Your situation is different, the cabinets aren't tied down to the wall so that can't be unless there's no cabinet backs.

In my house, I built large deep drawers for small counter top appliances for ease of access. Slide open, get at it and never have to bend over to reach for anything. I have one small cabinet in the entire kitchen that has a lower cabinet shelf. If you don't have deep drawers, its still not too late to have your cabinet makers change that or mod the lower cabinet for tall drawer(s).

[gregpark]

I changed out my Halogen under counter lighting to LED strip. I can leave them on full time if I wish because they cost nothing to run plus they don't produce heat. Super easy install. I opted for a rheostat switch. Nice looking cabinets

[look 171]

Just took these.




Forgot to te. you that those lights from the link should be hard wired sure they can be plugged in but with the cord, it looks carp.

[jyl]

I may have a mixer lift built into the island with power there. I don’t use the mixer much, not really a baker - maybe 3x year. If I ever lose weight i might get back into baking.

[70SATMan]

I installed my own LED strips underneath our cabinets. Used alum track that I cut down as needed and tech screwed. Used low voltage LED strips that can also be trimmed to the exact length for the track. I had corner spaces in the cabinets and that’s where I put the dimmable transformer.

I have a left and right bank using Lutron Bluetooth local controls that sync to a single wall switch that controls both banks at the same time. Or we can locally control the two banks individually.

[jyl]

ooo where did you get the trimmable LED strips?

[70SATMan]

The LED strip is by BlazeX. You have to get the connectors that attach the ends that you cut which are basically solder bridges in the circuits at intervals. Those are push on captivated connections. Real easy. The backs of the strips have adhesive which is a press fit in the alum channel and then the channel lens snaps into the extrusion.

There are ALL kinds of different channel to choose from. Flat, low profile, corner etc. I crimped the connections to the low voltage leads and the transformer is wired to switch power as you would any fixture. I wanted something I could maintain instead of having to replace an entire fixture if something failed. Also, I was able to choose the temp of the light strip.

Here’s one of my leftover channels.

[70SATMan]

I love the ability to use them as a very low night light in the kitchen if I wanted. The wall remote has a mid range button that is very easy to find in the dark so, we rarely leave them on all night.

This is the mid setting on both banks. No other lights on in the kitchen/dining or living room.

[look 171]

Hafele I mentioned has the exact same lights with a remote driver and cut to fit LEDs in a channel with or without a diffuser. We now only use those or Tresco due to their reliability track record.

[70SATMan]

This is the driver series I went with.

https://magnitudeinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/E-Series-Listed-Spec-Sheet-REV005.pdf.

I also went with a 12v system rather than 24v.

For sure, you could get it done using any number of suppliers to put together a system. All depends on how many bells and whistles you want. The LED strip quality is the first priority. The transformer/driver is second priority for putting together a reliable system.

Component/equipment evaluation and system integration is what I do every day so, I kind of geek out on the research. I could have used a single source like Hafele but, I’d have paid more and you don’t always know whether that source is actually building all of their own components. Can be a crap shoot for sure doing it on your own.

If I were a Trades Contractor other than electrical and was doing these jobs regularly then I’d probably go with a one stop shop as well.

[911 Rod]

My carpenter installed puck lights under the counter of our kitchen in 2020.
I've had to replace almost all of them because they were junk.

[gregpark]

When I remodeled my kitchen I dropped the crown down 4". I made a jig and cut dozens of triangle nailing blocks notched out at the wall seven sixteenths to squeeze in ½" LED rope lighting. The blocks are screwed to the studs. It illuminates the entire kitchen gently. LEDs last forever and use so little power I leave this string on 24/7 even though I switched it. My under counter LEDs are dimmable. I threw all the Halogen puck lights away. LEDs are superior in so many ways