Mounting Location of Under-Cabinet Lighting

Some kitchen designs offer little to no natural light, and any available overhead lighting is often blocked by the wall cabinets. The cabinets can cast shadows onto the countertops and darken your work area. Installing under-cabinet lighting brightens your kitchen and adds more task lighting to your work surface. There aren't any particular rules regarding the mounting locations for your under-cabinet lighting. You are only limited by your personal preferences and the locations of your wall outlets.

• 1

  Plug your under-cabinet lighting fixture into the wall outlet. Turn the fixture on and hold it beneath the cabinet where you want to install the light.

• 2

  Move the fixture under the cabinet from front to back and left to right until you find a position that best fits your lighting needs. Choosing a location toward the back of the cabinet gives you a wall-wash effect, while choosing a location toward the center or the front of the cabinet provides more task lighting.

• 3

  Mark the mounting location you chose for your under-cabinet lighting fixture with a marker or pencil.