what length strip light for cabinet lighting

[timothydoran]

I am looking at these strip lights as under cabinet lights. I want to know what lenght I would need to illuminate the worksurface either side of the cooker. The cabinets are 90cm each side.

I can get them in 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80cm which are 10, 16, 20, 25, 30watts.

I dont want it to be like a flood light but neither do I want it cast a gloomy pool of light

Which ones should I get?

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/LLM20W.html

 

[Taylortwocities]

It depends on how big a space you have to fill! The fitting you linked to is 625mm long so it will be fine for that sized cabinel.


IMO you can't have too much light on a kitchen work surface so fit the biggest fitting you can get in the space available.

That's if you want a work light.

If you want a warm ambient glow then a fluorescent tube is probably not your best bet!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Those lights are OK, but not the most reliable around.

Have you got room for something larger diameter?

Or if you want really small, Osram (and possibly others) do T2 tubes and fittings.

Regarding TTC's observation, fluorescent lights can be dimmed, but you'll need a special dimming ballast for them and a special dimmer switch to match.

Thought about LED strips?

Or a back-lit splashback?

 

[RF Lighting]

LED strips are great for this. They give a lovely even spread of light, they're low energy, they can be cut to any length, and there's no lamps which need replacing.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

No - just the whole strip once enough individual LEDs have failed....

But they (can be) dimmable, and can also be colour changing, so that if you sometimes want a gentler light you can do that.

DISCLAIMER: I have no experience of using them, but.....

My general experience of all things adhesive is that I would be wary of using self-adhesive strips in a kitchen, and concerned that over the long term (years) they would not stay stuck, and would prefer some kind of mechanical fixing. If you have the space for, and a pelmet to conceal, slim fluorescent fittings then you have ditto for an LED rope light help by Terry clips, for example, or an acrylic tube which you slip your LED strip into.

 

[timothydoran]

LED strips are great for this. They give a lovely even spread of light, they're low energy, they can be cut to any length, and there's no lamps which need replacing.

ok, sounds interesting can you give me a link to the bits I would need?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

LED strips.

 

[timothydoran]

LED strips.

Thanks for your suggestion!

Let me be a bit more specific as I know how to use google but what I dont know is
1. What is a good brand of LED
2. Where is a good place to buy from (I could google if I had a product code/name
3. What driver would I need
4. Suitable dimmers
5. All the other things I dont know about but I need to


Thanks

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Just trawling the forum to find recommendations for (or warnings to avoid) any makes/suppliers of LED strips (probably all made in the same factory in China anyway), and thought I'd update this.

My general experience of all things adhesive is that I would be wary of using self-adhesive strips in a kitchen, and concerned that over the long term (years) they would not stay stuck, and would prefer some kind of mechanical fixing. If you have the space for, and a pelmet to conceal, slim fluorescent fittings then you have ditto for an LED rope light help by Terry clips, for example, or an acrylic tube which you slip your LED strip into.

A proprietary solution - not cheap, but nice looking if you have nothing to conceal the strip behind:




Or this excellent DIY idea:

I used SOIC carrier tubing (Farnell) to hold it in and make it wipeable. Much cheaper than commercial mounting arrangements. Would never use anything else.