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How to DIY under cabinet Lighting for Under $200!
I announced over on Instagram Friday that we were tackling a project to install under cabinet lighting this past weekend. I have been looking forward to this for so long. Our countertops were obviously the big item with the renovations, but all the other elements are what elevate the kitchen as a whole and help it become the center of the home.
Fun fact: My mom was a kitchen and bath designer. I enjoy projects like this because it reminds me of her. I wish she was here to do all this stuff with us. She was so talented.
What you Need:
GE Premium LED Under Cabinet Lights, here (we used 4 18″ and 1 24″)
Tape Measure
Power Drill (we recommend both the small and large! the small one is a game changer in tight corners)
We used the RYOBI spade bits for the larger holes to run the cords through.
Wire Clips
Hammer just in case you need to tap something in.
Pencil for Marking
Start with the Power Drill and Spade Bit (we used a 3/4″). This is what will create the holes large enough to pull the cords through. We happen to have an outlet (I think most kitchens would have this as well if you have a microwave over your stove) in our cabinet which made it easy to hide cords. The linkable cords are much shorter than the plug in cords.
Drill your second hole into the cabinet housing the outlet. Run the cord slim side first through the hole down to the second cabinet and through the second hole.
Prep for your first hole to screw the light into the cabinet underneath. Continue to the second side and repeat. (You’ll only be dealing with one hole on each side). The recommendation for this placement is 4″ to the inside of the cabinet. That’s what we went with and are super happy with the light dispersement.
What you see above are the wire clips. Those are what is holding our cords in place and out of the way both underneath and inside the cabinets. I highly recommend adding in this step. It creates a much cleaner look.
You do not have to use the wood putty to fill in the gaps, but we chose to do this to keep it as clean as possible.
This only took an hour to complete. I repeat one hour! I’m still blown away at how easy that was. thankfully Luke was game and did most of the work. He’s turned into quite the handy man.
Get your hands on your own GE Premium Under Cabinet Linkable Lights here.
Let me know if you try this out yourself! We did a lot of research before we started this project and didn’t realize how simple it would be. Never let a DIY scare you. Most projects can be done if you can just be patient and get as much information as you possibly can to educate yourself before diving in.
