We’ve installed very few upper cabinets in our recent projects, so under-cabinet lighting hasn’t been a priority—until our laundry room. I found photos of the installation process from 2014 that I never shared, and it’s worth passing along because this upgrade is straightforward and can dramatically improve task lighting in kitchens, laundry rooms, or any area with upper cabinets.
The cabinets in this room are from Ikea, so we used their GRUNDTAL spotlights at the time. Those exact fixtures are no longer available, but Ikea now offers the OMLOPP spotlight, which appears similar and improved: slimmer, LED, and with cord-management pieces included. The mounting and wiring steps are essentially the same, so the process below applies whether you use the older or newer version.
Many people install one spotlight per cabinet, but we wanted the effect of a continuous band of light rather than distinct pools under each cabinet. The GRUNDTAL units came in three-packs, so we installed six total, though four or five would likely have produced a similar visual effect.
The first step is to remove the bulb portion of each light from its casing while leaving the wiring connected. This exposes the screw holes used to attach the fixture to the cabinet underside. Measure and mark placement beforehand—aim to center each spotlight front-to-back on the cabinet and space them evenly left-to-right. We placed them about 10 inches apart. Use short screws (we used 1/2″ screws) so they don’t penetrate the interior of the cabinet, then snap each light back into place when it’s secured.
After mounting the fixtures, you’ll connect their wires to a transformer box. Ikea sells the transformer and power cord separately; the number you need depends on how many lights you install. One transformer typically supports multiple spotlights (check the product specifications for exact limits). Newer systems are even easier to connect—think of it like plugging in a charger. Arrange the wiring so you can test everything before finalizing your cord management.
At this stage the wiring can look messy, but don’t worry. Plug the transformer into a regular outlet and use the inline toggle switch to power the lighting without an electrician. We were able to get ours working within minutes, which is one of the biggest appeals of these low-voltage systems.
Newer kits include cord covers that hide wires along the cabinet bottom, but you’ll still need to deal with excess wiring between the fixtures and the transformer. We used mounting ties (zip-tie style clips with a screw hole) and wire staples to keep everything tight to the cabinet underside. If the provided fasteners are too long, swap in shorter screws or nails to avoid penetrating the cabinet interior.
Most of the visible wiring is concealed by a cover piece that mounts across the bottom of the cabinetry. Once that cover is installed, you’d need to lean over the washer and dryer to see any of the wiring we tidied up—so the final result looks clean from normal standing positions.
Hiding the transformer box is another consideration. We mounted ours inside a gap on the side of a cabinet behind a filler piece. The transformer usually includes mounting holes for screws, and this placement lets the power cord follow the cabinet corner down to the outlet. A popular alternative is to place the transformer on top of the cabinets, which may require installing an outlet up there. Ikea also offers a remote control option so you can switch the lights on and off without accessing the power cord switch.
We later had an electrician hardwire the power to a wall switch, which made using the lights even more convenient. That step isn’t required, but it’s a nice upgrade if you want the convenience of a regular wall switch.
The last step was installing the cover strip along the bottom of the cabinets to hide the lights and wiring. We used a spare Ikea filler piece, mounted with small L-brackets and sealed at the seams with caulk. One minor downside of some cabinet systems is a flat underside that leaves less room to tuck lights in unobtrusively; slimmer LED fixtures and included cord covers in newer kits help address that.
I don’t have the original receipts, but a similar setup using the newer parts would cost roughly in the mid-range for under-cabinet lighting—an affordable upgrade for the extra task lighting and visual polish it provides. You can scale the cost by installing fewer lights or using a smaller transformer when appropriate.
We use our laundry room under-cabinet lights about half the time because the ceiling light is usually sufficient, but they’re a nice “nice-to-have” upgrade that improves visibility for sorting, folding, and other tasks. The installation is well within the capabilities of a confident beginner and can be completed quickly with basic tools and careful planning.
P.S. For a complete view of our laundry room project, including a budget breakdown and source list, see our project summary and shop list.
*This post contains affiliate links*