Task Lighting: How & Where It Can Enhance Your Home
Task Lighting, also known as under-cabinet lighting or countertop lighting, refers to hidden light sources installed underneath cabinetry that provides illumination to a countertop workspace. The primary benefit of adding task lighting in your home is the increase in functional light levels in the many areas where you and your family will be undertaking a variety of different tasks, from preparing meals to doing homework.
Kitchen Countertop Lighting
Task Lighting is most commonly used to illuminate countertops in residential kitchens. For a much more detailed outline of the ways task lighting can improve both the function and form of your kitchen, please check out our Comprehensive Guide to Kitchen Counter Lighting.
Where to Install Under-Cabinet LED Task Lighting
Task Lighting for Cocktail Bars & Butler’s Pantries
Similar to the enhancements that can be made in a kitchen, an under-cabinet lighting system in a butler’s pantry or residential cocktail bar greatly improves the both the aesthetic of the room and function of the counters in terms of drink preparation. Coupled with our adjustable cabinet lighting series, your China display, silver collection, or bar glassware will look like it belongs in a the lobby of a luxury hotel.
Task Lighting for Home and Business Offices
Both residential and professional offices alike can be greatly enhanced by under-cabinet lighting systems. The right level of light for working on paper or on the computer can be evenly distributed across your desk without the shadows created by overhead lights or the insufficient light of a table lamp.
Task Lighting for Garage Workspaces
Most garage workspaces feature fluorescent lighting under the cabinets, if there’s any lighting besides the overhead fixtures at all. With LED under-cabinet lighting, achieve the proper lighting required to complete any technical or mechanical project without the unsettling flickering of a fluorescent bulb. There is also the benefit of increased safety when working with power tools or electrical equipment under adequate light levels.
Task Lighting for Walk-In Closets
Many of the large homes being built these days feature walk-in closets with built-in cabinetry. Task lighting can be installed along the bottom of those cabinets to illuminate jewelry displays, makeup, shoe, or purse collections, or anything else that could benefit from extra lighting. Your closet will feel like a luxury boutique!
How to Install Under-Cabinet Lighting
To install under cabinet lighting fixtures, a do-it-yourselfer will need a few basic tools. They will need a measuring tape, and a pencil should be used to mark all drill locations prior to cutting into the wood. A hammer and a drill or a hole saw is needed to drill the holes necessary for mounting the fixtures. Many installers also prefer to use cable clamps to hold wires in place within the fixture box. It is strongly recommended that every conceivable safety precaution be taken when working with tools and wiring. Safety glasses should be worn while drilling holes and a sturdy step ladder should be used to access hard to reach places.
Because Phantom products are custom-made, the parts and instructions that come with each order are also customized to some extent. Prior to receiving the shipment, the end user will already have provided the necessary specifications to determine in advance the best way to conceal both the fixtures and the wires. Detailed instructions will be included with the order that walk the installer through the entire process.
The most essential step that will need to be taken to install under cabinet lighting will be to determine the location of the transformer. This device is necessary to power the linear assembly and must be concealed from the vantage point of any visitor to the kitchen. Professionals normally mount the transformer either above the linear assembly in the base of the attic or somewhere in the rear of the cabinet base itself. 16 gauge wire is sufficient for connecting the transformer to the array at distances of 20 feet or less. A heavier gauge wire will be necessary for attic runs exceeding 20 feet.
Phantom’s LED Task Lighting System Cutsheets
The following links will take you to our detailed product cutsheets to learn more about the specifics of each series:
Classic Series Task Lighting | Elite Series Task Lighting | Ultra Series Task Lighting
If you have any questions about the benefits or uses of under-cabinet LED task lighting, please contact us toll-free at 800-863-1184 or request a quote using our online form to get started on your project!