akchicago:
I did look at the pre-made angled plugmold, but a few reasons prevented me from using it. 1. very expensive 2. did not want the brushed nickel finish, prefer the anodized aluminum look to match my tambour doors and toe kick. 3. I had two miter cuts to deal with and needed blank raceway over the sink, so really using the pre-made product didn't give me the options to fully integrate it since it is not meant to be cut and does not come with other parts needed.
andreak100:
Regarding the LED strips, I used Philips Color Kinetics eW Profile Powercore LED strips. I used several different length sticks to make two contiguous runs separated by a small connecting cable to make a 45-degree turn. These were purchased from Farralane lighting, & audio inc., online, which had a pretty good price if you register for the website. I purchased the "Gray" housing which is metal and really looks almost like anodized silver aluminum (but the plastic parts are gray).
The LEDs are covered by a diffusing lens, which I think helps spread the light around uniformly. Note that they mount toward the front edge of the cabinet, not in the back, and they light both the coutntertop and backsplash, pointing away from the user. I liked this better than some LED options that seem to point only down or only back.
These come in three different color temperatures, I elected the middle option of 3000K, and I think they look nice color wise, but I have not seen the other options to know how they compare.
These LED bars use 120v, and because of this required no hidden transformer. There is an in-line switch and wiring box option that I used to clip directly on to the end of the LED bars. Very integrated looking and you can turn them off and on by flipping the switch right there under the cabinets.
Note that I did ALSO install an in-line 120v switch in the lower cabinets with the intent of using a dimmer with these, since they are dim-able. The idea was to keep the dimmer set at the desired light level and turn it off and on daily using the under cabinet switch. However, I went through a few dimmers trying to find one that worked well with it (and eliminated buzzing), but was never very happy with that. Therefore, I removed the dimmer and just put a switch in-line (or I could have hard wired them to be always on I suppose but I didn't have the right coverplate).
Overall, I am very happy with the LEDs. I am also installing one of these in the Appliance Kiosk underneath the bottom shelf to light the work surface (the toaster oven is mounted above the counter and blocks the overhead lighting), and the LEDs will turn on with the same switch as the overhead recessed light. I'll post more about the Appliance Kiosk soon!
Q
