A room without under-cabinet lighting will greet you with darkened, recessed areas that offer a gloomy aesthetic. In fact, the hallmark of a cheerful room full of cabinetry, especially for kitchens, is illuminating the countertop below. Under-cabinet lighting, however, requires extensive wiring so that the entire countertop surface area has sufficient lighting. Hiding the lighting's wires requires some design and preparation of the cabinetry for the best installation.
A number of different strategies can be used to hide unsightly lighting wires.
Cable Protectors
One of the simplest solutions to unsightly under-cabinet wires is using a cable protector. You can secure the wiring into one bundle with tie wraps and adhere it to the cabinet's underside with staples. The wiring length itself should extend directly from the light to the wall. The protector is commonly wood that is cut into a rectangle of the same length as the secured wire bundle. Using a router tool, you can cut a groove into the wood for the wire bundle to lie within without the chance of being pinched. Affixing the protector across the wire bundle on the underside of the cabinet will hide the wires from view. You can even paint or stain the wood to match the cabinetry as well.
Within Cabinetry
A more involved wire installation requires cutting into the cabinet's underside to hide the wires. Commonly used with recessed lights, the light fixture's end that penetrates into the inside cabinetry will require a wood plank across its exposed top with a hole and channel needed to guide the wires to the wall outlet. A router creates the hole and channel on the wood plank, which simply slides into the cabinet's interior. Another wood plank with no openings covers this entire construction; the wires are guided safely through the hidden channel so that no chance of pinching can occur.
Wood Valances
Some light fixtures hang down slightly from the cabinet's underside; you may not want the fixture or the wiring to be visible. In these cases, you can affix a wood valance to the cabinet's underside with wood glue, creating an extension of the cabinetry's front face. This wood can be decorated, such as with paint or stain, to match the cabinetry so that the light fixture and wiring are hidden from view. The wiring itself can be attached to the cabinet's underside with tie wraps and staples so that it cannot be seen hanging down below the valance.
Wire Placement
Unless you are using the cable protector strategy, the wires should be affixed as close to the front bottom edge of the cabinet as possible, preferably hidden behind a slight cabinet overhang. If you run the wires along the rear bottom edge of the cabinetry, you will be able to see them more clearly as you walk into the room.
