Recommended Color Temperature for Under Kitchen Cabinet Lighting

I finished my backsplash and I need a light that is soft to bring out reds, browns, and blues from slate. I was thinking 2700 before looking at your page. I have a place above a cabinet for the driver and a box for the dimmer switch below. One low-voltage wire goes down above the switch to a 32" cabinet bottom. Another low voltage wire goes up, to the ceiling, across the kitchen, and down below the cabinets (@20'), where I will have 23" 19" and 19" cabinets to light with a microwave to span over in the middle. I am stuck on 24V or 12V. Also, I am concerned about bringing the best colors out of the backsplash but also want a little more light on my counters for cooking. 

We can confirm that we generally recommend 3000K for kitchens and dining areas. That said, you may find that a warmer color temperature compliments the backsplash material better. we have provided a link below comparing the two color temperature options below, which we hope is helpful. 

To test which color temperature works best for your kitchen, we might recommend ordering some of our 2700K and 3000K A19 bulbs to make a direct comparison of the light output. 

We have also attached an informative article from our website below, which goes into the benefits of a 24V system over a 12V system. In short, the maximum combined length of the 24V version is greater than the 12V version, and 24V installations will encounter less voltage drop which can be helpful for installations where there is a larger wired gap between the power supply and lights. 

Choosing Between 2700K and 3000K

Advantages of a 24V LED system vs 12V

A large part of my concern is being able to do the two runs of tape lights off of one driver that will work with a dimmer switch preceding it.

One low voltage wire goes down @4' to a 32" cabinet bottom. Another low voltage wire goes @20' up, across the kitchen ceiling, and down to another row of cabinets: 23" 19" (30" span for microwave) and 19" 

We are happy to confirm that our LED strip lights can be wired to a power supply in parallel. We have provided a link to an instructional page from our website below regarding the topic, which we hope proves to be helpful for your installation planning. 

Connecting LED Strips in “Series” vs “Parallel”

The primary consideration will be ensuring that the lengths of wire between the LED strip lights and the power supply do not encounter voltage drop. That being said, the voltage drop can be minimized by utilizing the proper gauge of wire. To assist with reducing voltage drop, we have also attached a link below to our voltage drop calculator tool. 

LED Strip Light Wire Gauge & Voltage Drop Calculator

Question posted under:

LED strip lightsT5 linear fixturesA19 Bulbs (60 watt equivalent)Kitchen lighting

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