Do I need an electrician for under-cabinet lighting?

Not for the common versions. Plug-in and battery LED strips, bars, and puck lights need zero electrical work — you stick them up, hide the cord, and plug into an existing outlet. You only need a licensed electrician if you want hardwired lights with no visible cord, fed from a switch, because that means opening the wall, tapping a circuit, and possibly a permit. Most kitchens get an excellent result with plug-in LED strips and never touch a wire.

What color temperature is best for under-cabinet kitchen lighting?

For a work surface, 3000K to 3500K is the sweet spot — warm enough to feel like home, bright and neutral enough to see what you are chopping. 2700K reads cozy but slightly yellow on a white counter; 4000K and up looks clinical in most kitchens. Look for a color rendering index (CRI) of 90 or above so food and finishes show their true color. Tunable strips let you dial it in if you cannot decide.

How do I hide the cord on plug-in under-cabinet lights?

Run the low-voltage lead up the back inside corner of the cabinet, held with the adhesive clips in the kit, and drill a small hole through the cabinet bottom or back to route it toward the nearest outlet. For the plug end, a cord channel or a paintable raceway along the underside of the upper cabinet hides the last visible run. Planning the outlet path before you stick anything down is what separates a clean install from a cord jungle.

How far apart should under-cabinet puck lights be?

Space pucks 8 to 12 inches apart and about 4 to 6 inches back from the front edge of the cabinet so the light lands on the counter, not the backsplash. Closer spacing gives even light; wider spacing leaves scalloped dark gaps between pucks. Continuous LED strips or bars avoid the hot-spot problem entirely and are the better choice for even task lighting along a run of cabinets.

Are LED strip lights bright enough for a kitchen counter?

Yes, if you choose the right output. For task lighting aim for roughly 200 to 500 lumens per linear foot; anything less is accent glow rather than working light. High-density strips (more LEDs per foot) give smoother, brighter light without visible dots through a diffuser. Mounting the strip toward the front underside of the cabinet, behind a small light rail or the cabinet's face frame, pushes the light onto the counter and keeps the diodes out of sight.

How to Install Under-Cabinet Lighting: A Weekend DIY Guide

Written & researched by Derek Holt Home & Appliances Editor

Updated August 2026

Over-the-shoulder view of a person switching, in soft overcast light

Affiliate Disclosure

Some links on this page are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases — at no extra cost to you. We do not buy, test, or physically handle the products we cover; our rankings come from aggregated owner reviews, ratings and expert consensus. Commissions never change our verdicts. How we rank · full disclosure.

Plug-in LED under-cabinet lighting is one of the easiest upgrades in the house — plan on an afternoon, about $20 to $80 for a kitchen's worth of strips or pucks, and no wiring or permit. You mount the lights, hide the cord, and plug into an existing outlet. The only version that needs a licensed electrician is fully hardwired lighting with no visible cord, fed from a wall switch, which means opening the wall and tapping a circuit. This guide covers the plug-in route almost everyone chooses, plus where the pro line is.

We never buy, test or physically handle the products we rank; recommendations come from aggregated owner reviews and expert consensus, described in how we rank. More at the indoor lighting hub.

The Easiest Way to Install Under-Cabinet LED Lighting

Tools and materials

An LED under-cabinet kit — strips, bars, or pucks. Our best under-cabinet lighting guide ranks kits by owner-reported brightness, color accuracy, and adhesive that actually holds.
Isopropyl alcohol and a clean rag to degrease the mounting surface — adhesive fails on greasy kitchen cabinets more than for any other reason.
A drill with a small bit for routing the cord, plus adhesive cord clips (usually included).
Scissors or the kit's cut points for trimming strips to length, and a tape measure.
Optional: a paintable cord raceway to hide the run to the outlet.

Step 1: Plan the layout and power path

Measure the underside of each cabinet run and decide strip versus pucks — strips for even task light, pucks for accent pools. Pick which existing outlet will feed the system and map the cord path: up the back inside corner of a cabinet, through a small drilled hole, toward that outlet. Do this before sticking anything, because a driver or plug you place without a plan becomes a visible cord you cannot hide.

Step 2: Clean and dry-fit

Wipe the mounting surface with isopropyl alcohol and let it flash dry — kitchen cabinets carry a thin film of cooking grease that defeats adhesive. Dry-fit the strip or pucks with the backing still on to confirm placement: strips toward the front underside so light hits the counter not the backsplash, pucks 8 to 12 inches apart and 4 to 6 inches back from the front edge. Mark positions lightly with a pencil.

Close-up detail of the material being worked in a indoor lighting project, in bright midday sun

Step 3: Cut and connect the runs

Trim LED strips only at the printed cut lines (usually every 2 to 4 inches); cutting elsewhere kills that segment. Join separate cabinet runs with the kit's corner connectors or short link cables so a single driver feeds the whole kitchen. Test the assembled run by plugging it in before you commit any adhesive — far easier to fix a dead connector now than after everything is stuck down.

Step 4: Mount and route the cord

Peel the backing a few inches at a time and press the strip firmly along its line, working from one end so it stays straight. Set pucks on their marks. Route the low-voltage lead up the cabinet's back corner with the adhesive clips, through the drilled hole, and down to the outlet, tucking the driver behind or on top of a cabinet where it is out of sight. Use a cord raceway for any run that would otherwise show.

Over-the-shoulder view of a person switching, in warm late-afternoon light

Step 5: Switch and test

Plug in and confirm even, flicker-free light with no dark scallops and no visible cord. Many kits include an inline switch, a remote, or a motion sensor; if you want wall-switch control without rewiring, a smart plug lets you switch the lights by app or voice. Warm-neutral 3000K to 3500K at 90+ CRI is the target for a counter you actually work on.

Common mistakes

Skipping the alcohol wipe. Grease is why strips fall off in a month. Degrease first.
Mounting strips too far back. They light the backsplash instead of the counter. Keep them forward.
Cutting a strip off its marks. Only cut at the printed lines.
No cord plan. Route to the outlet before you stick, or you will see wire.
Under-buying brightness. Aim for 200 to 500 lumens per foot for real task light.

When to call an electrician

Plug-in and battery lights are pure DIY. Bring in a licensed electrician if you want a hardwired system with no cord, fed from a switch — that means cutting into the wall, tapping an existing circuit or running a new one, and possibly a permit that is jurisdiction-specific. Any new circuit or panel work is a pro job, never DIY.

How to Install Under-Cabinet Lighting