DIY Under Cabinet Lighting - Full Walkthrough 

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Electrician here, install a outlet inside your cabinet right above your outlet. Just use a cut in box. That way you dont have the ugly cable showing. You could easily fish a wire straight up and into your cut in box. No wires showing. Just my 2 cents

This is an awesome video. I did this exact project about 10 yrs ago in my previous home. The products have upgraded a bit since then, so this is a great start for me doing it again in my current home. Thank you!

I think by far the best video on LEDs for DIYers

Been wanting to add under cabinet light to my house for some time. Finally got around to working up the nerve to learn to solder and got the remainder of the items. Just recreated this in my kitchen and love how it turned out. Appreciate the great videos and tutorials. Keep up the good work. God Bless!

Hey Chris, I'm based in UK and have been watching and following your channel for a while. I'm taking inspiration from you and will be doing my own room at home soon as I'm buying my first house. Thank you for showing us how easy this work is. And your links are a godsend haha So big up from Liverpool UK

There's a lot of great information in this video. I'm going to replace some old florescent fixtures under my cabinets: this video definitely made my project easier.

Tips from my last install: Put the LEDs 1-2" away from the front lip of the cabinet underside. Use the face frame edge to top the light juuuust before the counter edge and prevent the light from spilling over the counter onto the floor. This will prevent ugly shadow lines on the floor and cabinet fronts. Also by putting the LEDs on the front edge they will illuminate the fronts of objects on your counter and produce a softer illumination of the backsplash. It's also harder to see directly when crouched down. An angled track can also change the distribution of the light. I carved a notch out of the cabinet bottoms instead of a hole through their joints. This produces a seamless line and light when seen in the reflection of the counter. The COB "dotless" LED strips are 100% worth it especially seen in a shiny countertop reflection. Keeping the last LED from running right up against the wall on the end of a bank of cabinets also dulls the "hot spot" effect. I prefer to use the controllers that take a dimming 120V source as the dimmer control for the 12-24V output. This means a handsome dimmer-paddle switch (e.g. Lutron) is a one-touch control for all aspects of the light (except programming obv.).

I really love this channel!😍

this is exactly what I did the first thing after buying my house, it makes a huge difference. IMO every kitchen should come with this

Thank you for this video. I just used your instructions and the equipment in your description to give my cabinets a beautiful face lift. I appreciated the help!

for added effect i also ran the same lighting under the bottom cabinets in the kickboard space so you get a floor wash. Works really well. I concealed my power supplies on the top of my cabinets and ran the cabling behind the cabinets. You can use a fused spur to permanently wire in and get rid of the ugle black cable in your install. Works like a charm. Nice vid

I love LEDs and LED Projects and I am so happy I’ve found your channel ❤

Well done sir. The under the cabinet lights are a huge improvement.

Outstanding Job!!!! You kitchen looks amazing!!!!! I’ll be installing my lights soon (after new glass backsplash is installed) You really simplified things for me 😀

Chris, thanks, for some good tips, and all the links help out too, It's nice to see people take pride in what they do.

Great video and filled with info that will save me hours of trials and errors -thank u!

Excellent demonstration. I remodeled my kitchen three years ago and for the past, about 2-years, I been trying to get a great idea how I’m bridging everything and incorporating a possible dimmer/ Bluetooth etc. thanks for this because it answered every question!

Looks amazing! Excellent job!

I'm a couple minutes into the video but just had to come down here and say thank you. What a time to be alive with so much knowledge at our fingertips

Wow, everything came out so nice! Love your channel and how well explained your videos are!

Very clean and PROFESSIONAL install!

Another great video, thanks for sharing your knowledge with us Chris!

It was a little flimsier than I expected. I had to add a 2x2 piece of wood to the bottom on the rear side in order to stabilize it better ru-vid.comUgkxXTh-lz-8W6GcB219vTLp27-MxbZYObBX . It is also starting to bow a little at the outer wall ( I've had it up for about 6 months), I've already had a shelf tumble down because of the bow and the fact that the little shelf brackets are quite short. I went out to home depot and got some longer ones so that the shelves don't tumble down again. Overall, it looks very nice for the price and it holds a lot ( I use it as a pantry). I am very satisfied with my purchase. I just strongly suggest reinforcing it before putting it up.

I was wondering when you’d do these. Love the video. I’m moving in a couple weeks, but renting.. So I can’t drill but I’ll definitely be doing some under cabinet lighting at the new place. 👍

This is awesome! I need to replace our 19 year old halogen under cabinet lights and this is perfect. I really like the aluminum channel and diffuser.

Very, very excellent video ! Especially the links for the products you used. Thank you for making it.

Hi Chris, another top video and tutorial. Them WAGO'S can be a godsend can't they!. I hope you are all well 🇺🇸🇬🇧

Loved this!! Will definitely try this out!

I think I will add an outlet to the inside of my cabinets first:) thanks for the great Videos!

This is nice man! I know that dealing with cameras and whatnot while doing the work can be a bit annoying, so appreciate you taking the time to share! I hate to be that guy, but I gotta say it: it’s probably okay for the low voltage, but that “exposed” Wago in the cabinet coming straight from 120v can be super dangerous man. If someone pulls it either by hand or say a plate touches it just right, it could be bad bad news. Just get an electrical box, do the connection inside of it, put a cover plate, and call it the day. There are metal boxes in which you can screw to the back of the cabinet (make sure to use knockout connectors and ground the box if you go with the metal box). I’m not doing this to annoy you. It’s truly coming out of concern for you and whoever else is in your house. I’ve been swallowing your videos today. Really appreciate you! Sorry for the long comment.

Great, informative tutorial, thanks Chris!

Make another outlet behind the cabinet , to get rid of plug

Great video Chris!

Thanks, Chris, great video. FYI any 120VAC connections/splices must be made in an approved box.

Can't wait to knock this one out. Only suggestion I can make is put a junction box in the cabinet and run some romex from the plug you used up into the cabinet. Then you don't need to cut all the connectors and all the wires are hidden inside. Great job, cheers!

enjoy and illuminate inside cabinets

This is a very good job to show us

Yet another awesome video, thank you :)

Great work chief, great explanation. Advice: next time install a outlet in one of the cabinets to plug in the lights. They also make single wago connectors to extend single wires, (splice)

Great looking installation, thank you for sharing!

Great video tutorial!!

Thank you for your video. It is excellent information and well done. What do you connect the ground wire to from the plug that goes inside the cabinet?

I'm gonna DO this!! Thanks!

Thank you for the video. I plan to source this project from an outlet that is inside a cabinet on top of my over the range microwave, can I add a switch before the dimmer assembly to turn led strip lights on / off and then use the dimmer to increase / decrease light intensity? If I can what switch with housing do you recommend?

Thank you for another great video

Once I buy a house I will probably rewatch all these videos again. Totally something I would do. I think I would have tried to find a flat plug so the plug isn't sticking out to much.

Thank you for sharing this! I did my own install a while back but the connector+LED combo I used has the lights flickering due to poor connections. I'm taking all your recommendations an ordering everything today, can't wait to see how it comes out!

Do you have any feedback for these high density strips regarding heat and how heat affects their lifetime? I really like the idea of spotless lighting, whether by high density LEDS, diffusers, or a combination of the two, but am concerned about unneeded heat. Thanks.

Excellent videos!

lololol....something told me you had a video for under cabinet lighting! sweet!

Well done, thanks for sharing

Thank you for the informational video! Is the aluminum strip necessary for the led strip? Or can I skip the aluminum strip?

I have been considering doing this but I was going to use a diagonal/corner diffuser and mount it at the corner of the front of the cabinet, between the bottom of the cabinet and the front lip, so that it is completely hidden from sight and you should also avoid the strip being visible in the reflection on the countertops.

Another option is to add in a new outlet hidden at the top above the cabinets for power. Should be really easy to fish tape Romex and use a new work box and have everything truly hidden.

Hi, Chris! I really love your video! Just have one question, I have 2 windows in my kitchen between the cabinets. And I see you use one switch to control two separate sections of strips lights. How do you connect these two separate strips? How do you hide the wire when there is a window?

I recently redid my kitchen., I considered a strip type that was action controlled. I did not want the lights to come on and off all the time as I have a dog that comes and goes in our kitchen at night. Instead, I used the stick-on tab lights and put them under my cabinets. They are connected to my electric light switch. These were inexpensive and work beautifully for us. Remove the protective paper and stick them to the bottom of the cabinet-easy/peasy!

Thanks for your video, it was very helpful. Question: I have 12V AC coming out of the wall. Do you recommend a AC to DC converter for the 12V DC COB lights and if so, could you recommend a product.

Great job !

Hey Chris. Im currently trying this on my kitchen remodel and before i went ahead with the install i have a question. Im using the the FCOB COB CCT 24V Kit from your other video. My question is since this has three cables (white, yellow and red) how can these be connected with out soldering? and which cables should I buy for these? would you happen to have links for this items, I see the 4 pin connector for the cables but I'm not sure where to find the white, yellow, red cable. thanks for your time beforehand.

I have a galley style kitchen with cabinets on either side that I would like to add under lighting to. You mentioned that I would be able to bridge the led’s with wire to extend them. Would I be able to use an extension of wire to go up into the ceiling and down to the other side of cabinets?

Questions please: I have very small kitchen with small island. I have a wall switch that powers the old fluorescent lights (3) already wired with 14 AWG Romex in place. Assuming I can sort out all of the romex - can I pigtail off the DC side to run top of cab lights with the 18 gauge R/B silicone wire? I need to run R/B wire thru pantry maybe 10 ft of R/B wire added. Total of 30 feet of which 20 ft is strips. One power supply okay?

You are my hero

I went and bought the battery operated lights that have different colors with remote. Very pleased with them once I put energizer batteries int them.

Well executed Impressive!

Great video. Thanks for the tips

The video I’ve been searching for, for months! Thank you my good man

Nice ideias ever... Great vídeo Bro.

That looks NNNIIIIIIIIIICCCCCCCEEEEEE.

Great video! The power supply you suggested is out of stock 😢is there another one you can suggest? Thank you

Looks good! I think I’m going to do most of the install like that but add an ALEKSA capable plug so I can voice control dim level. I’m lazy. LOL

Thanks for your inspiration! Until now I only used Govee LEDs, but now I will test out COB LEDs too. The LED density is much higher and easier to work with. Your voice is also very smooth to listen :D

Good job !

Hi Chris, First of all, I love you videos and tutorials. I was hoping that you could help me I did some under cabinet lightning using 24v COB LED strips 16ft in length with a 24v 45w power dimmer driver, pretty much the same you used or least the same brand. My issue is that the driver and the first strip connect to it gets super hot after about 30 mins of use. Is this normal or is there something I can do help with the high temperatures?

Since a lot of people have microwaves in this general area, I wonder if you can wire it to the outlet that uses instead or is that one for much higher voltage appliances?

Great video!!

Well done.

@Chris - Would you do an updated version of this tutorial with the newer LED strips available for Govee or Aqara?

Great job…

Very smart!

Thanks!

Well done 🙏❤️

Chris we want to put under cabinet lighting as well as cabinet lighting in three cabinets with glass doors. We have power inside the cabinets already to be used from a wall switch. Do you have any suggestions or ideas on the best way to accomplish that task? I could send pics of my kitchen cabinets if you’d like. Thanks so much

If you counter plug wire is dropped from the top you can just install a new plug inside the upper cabinet. Then you can just drop the wires straight out of the upper cabinet. Toe kick lighting would be pretty sweet too.

Love the video! Great info and presentation. One question: Can the black and red wires be ran through insulated walls to connect the lights or would you recommend something else? Thanks again!

I would have used a right angle white power cord for the outlet but thanks for the video. I would love under cabinet lights myself.

Nice 👌🏽

Can you suggest an adapter for 32ft lights? The one which you mentioned is getting extremely hot in a couple of hours.

Hey Chris, I got a backlog of videos to go through.. 😂 But I think this looks fantastic! All the shots I wanted to see of on/off and overall, I would be more than happy with this setup! I've been thinking for like.. 2 years or so to do something like this, but our cabinets doesn't have the "overhang" or maybe.. "underhang"? 😂 that hides the cables and led channels.. so not really sure how I would go ahead and do it nice.. Maybe add some wood trim and then fill and paint it so it looks like your cabinets on the underside.. But then again.. when would I do this.. I haven't fully painted the inside of the cabinets.. they are partly showing the original wood color.. we started painting it many years ago.. then we had to start using the cabinets as the kitchen table needed to be used 😂 maybe someday.. haha

Love the video, the only thing I don’t quite understand is how to connect the wires through the gap where the kitchen window / sink is?

Great video. I am in the construction phase and have had an electrician run 14/3 to each under cabinet location. I did't know what kind of lights i would be using when they ran the wires. how would you connect the 14/3 to the COB lights you have shown? i believe each 14/3 will be coming out in the middle of the cabinet rather than to one side.

Question would those clips work for RGB strips too?

Very nice job & you gave a great presentation of it. I would have done few things differently, but it's a nice DIY. One suggestion if I might add is to just use the flexible LED strip lighting with 3M self adhesive backing. When I remodeled our kitchen 8 years ago that's what I used. I stuck the strips to the inside edge of the front lip of our cabinets which puts the lights completely out of sight and the light strips point toward the backsplash instead of the countertop. They still light the entire countertop and there are no shadows on the counters or the backsplash. We have glossy quarts countertops & there are no reflections from the lights at all. Since I did a complete kitchen remodel, I rewired the entire room at that time & added 8 circuits. This allowed me to add 2 switched outlets inside my cabinets so I have the 2 power supplies & dimmers inside the cabinets & out of sight. Then all I had to do was drill holes down through the outside corners to feed my light strips. Just like @frederf3227 mentioned, I also cut a notch in the cabinet bottoms in order to run my strip lights straight through from one cabinet to the next with no splicing. Our cabinet lights run 24-7 except when we leave home for more than a day or two. They have been lit almost continually since March of 2015 and still look like the day I installed them.

Make sure you give us all an update on how the command strips are holding up! GREAT VIDEO BTW :)

Did you go with cool, warm, or natural hue? Also, what are the black and red wires called? I see your links have a white wire? I’m going to purchase all this from your links to support you, thank you!

Hi Chris , I found your chanel couple days and love all your videos. In this video you are using a very bulky dimmer. Can I ask why you dont use led touch swich/ dimmer 12/24 V that you can hide inside aluminium profile?

Do you regret not installing any RGBW type lights I have been needing to do my cabinets and really struggling to decide if I should do an RGBW or COB. White is the obvious primary need but figured it would be cool during the holidays to add ambiance or just not have the limitation but will need to place in a channel if I do an RGB.

Looks great, but keeps tripping my breaker 😢 Do I need a different power supply? Plugging in just above the microwave and keep lossing my lights, then different nearby kitchen outlets and still loose lights... Also my channels did not have the same memory as the ones in the video (very bendable)

Do you think it would be safe to split it at the input to the switch to a motion as well?

Thought of something, since I am removing the cabinets and replacing them, might as well run romex inside the wall to the top pf cabinets for an outlet to plug whatever I need to plug. I just put the strip on a simple switch, no dimmer for me.