Adding Lights Under Kitchen Cabinets

I was waiting in line at Hancock Fabrics, of all places, and their display of "As Seen On TV" products caught my eye. There, among the cheesy gadgets from bad television commercials, I spotted these little battery-powered LED puck lights. I got out of line and went over for a closer look. Would these work under my kitchen cabinets?

I have wanted lights under my kitchen cabinets forever. When I re-did my kitchen, lights under the cabinets were one of the things I wanted but the options were limited (this was before LED lights were readily available), as was my budget, so I decided to make-do with just the overhead lights. Recently, I had been thinking that one of my next projects would be to add a couple sets of the puck lights that just plug in under the kitchen cabinets but these Stick N Clicks just might be the perfect solution.

The Stick N Click LEDs are so easy. Each puck is powered by 3 AAA batteries that are supposed to last for 100 hours. And, the installation is super simple. Just peel and stick. No cords hanging down. No wiring (I really don't get into wiring because I am not very confident when it comes to electricity and I don't want to kill myself or burn down the house).

At $9.99 for a package of 3, I figured they were worth a try. Not much to lose if they don't work. There was nothing to the installation. I put in the batteries. Decided where I wanted the lights.

Peeled the paper backing off the sticky square and stuck those babies up.

Considering that I spent around $28 ($20 for 6 lights and $8 for 18 AAA batteries) and 5 minutes on this upgrade, I am pretty satisfied. It's not a huge difference but with black counters the area under the cabinets was cave-like at night. The LEDs add enough light to read a recipe or a package. Each light makes a little spot of light. It makes the kitchen look warmer and a little more cozy. Here is the before

And the after

It will be interesting to see how long the batteries last and if I actually turn on the lights after years of making do without any.