My Kitchen Remodel – Lighting
Here is a quick update on the kitchen remodel. Today the plumber came in and moved the gas line for the cooktop just and inch or two so the drawers underneath it would fit. I will be getting a hand turn-off valve for this gas line to satisfy code.
I needed a water line installed for the ice maker in the refrigerator, so he ran one in the ceiling by tying into an existing water line from the second floor bathroom.
The plumber also is updating my water lines for the kitchen sink. I will be getting new shut off valves for hot and cold water.
The electrician is putting in all the necessary wiring today. Next my contractor and I need to plan where the can lights should go.
LED Recessed Lights
That brings me to lighting. I am not a big fan of florescent can lights so I started, months ago, looking at alternatives like LED can lights. I like the idea that LED lights are green.
- They don’t contain mercury or require special handling for disposal.
- They don’t give off radiation.
- They don’t produce heat like regular incandescent bulbs and remain cool to touch.
- LED’s last about 50,000 hours.
I looked at and compared various brands of LED can lights. The 3 I checked out were Cree, Juno, and Halo.
Next, I went online and tried to find out what other people had to say about this kind of lighting. GardenWeb.com is a good place to look. They have a forum where people talk about their experiences with LED’s and everything else.
Cree seemed to get the highest comments, stating the light output(lumens) was excellent and the light was warm (measured in Kelvin (K)).
Cree has a color rendering index (CRI) of 92. This is an important number as it gives you an idea how true colors will look under this light. The scale is 0 to 100 with the sun being 100. Cree’s light is 92 which is excellent. Halo and Juno both have a CRI of 80. In my kitchen, I want my food to look appetizing.
Another important thing to consider is lumens. This number tells you how bright the light is. Cree LR6 puts out 650 lumens for 12 watts and Halo puts out 600 lumens per 15 watts. Juno puts out 600 lumens for 14 watts of energy.
In the end I bought 8 Cree LR6’s so we will see how it goes.
Under cabinet Lighting
Again, I was looking to use LED for under cabinet lighting as well. I don’t like the look of florescent and xenon runs hot like halogen.
So my search was on for LED’s. Here all I really was concerned with were two things. How bright are they? How streamlined are they?
For brightness I want something bright enough for task lighting. I need help seeing as I age and brightness matters.
I visited my local lighting stores and found many under cabinet lights but many were not bright at all. They would be fine for ambiance but that’s not what I was looking for. I couldn’t justify spending a lot of money for a little bit of light.
So I turned to the Internet to see what was available.
I found what I was looking for in a company I’m sure you have heard of: Philips. They have an under cabinet light called the eW Profile Powercore. It satisfied all my needs. It puts out 150 lumens per foot while using 5 watts of energy, it’s very stream lined and it’s dimmable.
I felt confident this product would be bright enough when I read it meets the IESNA illumination intensity specifications for optimal usability and safety in task lighting applications. Perfect.
These under cabinet lights are small. Here are the dimensions. They come in three lengths: 11 inches, 21 inches, and 41 inches. They are 7/8 inch high by 1 1/2 inches wide. I’ve seen other lights specifically Kicher, that are twice this size.
I was quite happy when I found these lights. They should last 55,000 hours too. I won’t be changing light bulbs any time soon.
These under cabinet lights need to be mounted near the front edge of your cabinets for the best light. Also resist the urge to buy cheap LED lights. Always buy from reputable companies.
Pendant Lighting
Here I ended up buying 3 regular halogen pendants. LED’s are quite expensive and I wasn’t sure they would be bright enough. These lights are by Juno under their Afla name.
I have been told to hang them 30 to 36 inches above the counter. You don’t want the pendants in your line of sight but just a tad higher. Could be interesting. Do I place them just above my eye level or my husbands?
I will probably use him as a guide, keeping the 30 to 36 inch height in mind.
In California we have to comply with Title 24. This means that all my LED lights have to equal or exceed in wattage, the pendants. For example, The pendants (which are low efficiency) use 150 watts of power. That’s 50 watts per pendant times 3.
I have to have an equal or greater amount of wattage in high efficiency lighting (my LED’s). Each can light is 12 watts times 8 fixtures equals 96 watts. My under cabinet lighting totals 55 watts. 96 plus 55 equals 151 watts. I just made it.
I can’t wait to see all this lighting in action.
What’s Next On The Remodel
Tomorrow my contractor will be filling some holes and installing insulation in the walls and ceiling. We didn’t have insulation in the ceiling before so this is a good opportunity to put some in while it’s accessible. This will help keep things quiet upstairs in our master bedroom.
Sheet rock will also be started tomorrow. It will take two days to sheet rock and texture.
Next time I will tell you about how we are surviving this kitchen remodel and what things you can do to get through one yourself.
Till next time,
Rockin Robin
