Sometimes changing one bit of lighting can completely transform a kitchen.
A new customer in Moorside, Cleckheaton contacted me recently about replacing some failing under cabinet kitchen lighting.
She had the older triangular style light fittings installed underneath the kitchen wall units. After only a year or two, they had started causing problems and some of the bulbs would no longer sit properly inside the fittings.
Looking at them, my suspicion was that the fittings had been getting too hot over time.
We had a chat about the different options available.
We could replace the existing kitchen lights with something similar, which would have been the simplest option, or we could install something specifically designed around her kitchen.
My recommendation was a custom made LED strip lighting installation.
The customer wanted a nice warm glow underneath the kitchen units rather than something ridiculously bright.
That suits me because warm white is generally my preference for this type of kitchen lighting too.
Under cabinet lighting doesn't necessarily need to illuminate the entire room. For me, it works best when it creates a feature and gives you a nice bit of additional light across the worktops.
Install something too bright and you lose that effect.
You might as well have the main kitchen lights on.
For that reason, I generally recommend using a lower wattage and brightness of LED strip where appropriate. Combined with a warm white colour temperature, it produces a much softer light and can make the kitchen feel completely different in the evening.
Once we'd agreed what the customer wanted, I measured everything so the LED strip lighting could be made specifically for her kitchen.
We provided the quote, she was happy to go ahead and the lighting equipment was ordered.
Then it was simply a case of turning up and installing it.
There are loads of different LED strip lights available now, with different brightness levels and colour temperatures. You can even have colour changing versions if that's your thing.
For a traditional kitchen though, I still think it's difficult to beat a nice warm white glow.
After a few hours of electrical work, the difference was brilliant.
The new LED lighting sits neatly underneath the kitchen units and gives an even spread of light across the worktops rather than having individual pools of light from separate fittings.
Another important part of this installation is the quality of the equipment itself.
Our LED strip lighting is designed and built for each individual job rather than simply buying a roll of LED tape and hoping for the best.
The manufacturer provides a five year guarantee on the lighting equipment, which is exactly the sort of warranty I like to see.
We match the manufacturer's guarantee with our workmanship too.
So if this LED strip lighting develops a covered fault during those five years, we're not expecting the customer to find another electrician and pay again to get it sorted. We can arrange the replacement equipment and return to replace it.
That's particularly important with LED lighting because the quality of the equipment can make a huge difference to how long an installation lasts.
Overall, the customer was really happy and the new under cabinet lighting gave the kitchen exactly the warm glow she was looking for.
If you're looking for an electrician near me in Moorside, Cleckheaton to replace old kitchen lighting, install LED strip lights or carry out another small electrical job around your home, feel free to get in touch.
Your Local Electrician and Extractor Fan Specialist in Moorside, Cleckheaton.
