June 21, 2002, Newsletter Issue #23: More light on your countertops

Tip of the Week

There are a variety of under-cabinet flourescent light fixtures available, some as small as one inch thick. When you are at the Do-It-Yourself store choosing fixtures, ask the clerk for a stacked switch and outlet. It is the same size as a duplex outlet, but one of the outlets is a switch.

Select an existing outlet in your kitchen that is in a handy spot for your new switch. Turn off the breaker for that outlet, and pull the outlet from the box.

Drill a 1/2 inch hole directly above the outlet, as close to the bottom of the upper cabinet as possible. Feed a length of 12-2 with ground Romex wire through the hole, down the wall cavity, and into the outlet box.

Mount the new light fixture to the bottom of the cabinet, with the wire fed into it. Follow the manufacturer`s instructions to wire the fixture, which will tell you to connect the black wire to black, white to white, and ground to the green screw.

Now, install the stacked switch according to the directions, black to black, white to white, and ground to green. Screw the new switch into the box, put the plate back on, turn the breaker back on, and get to work.

If you wish, you can put more than one fixture on the new switch. There is a product called Wire-Mold, which is basically pretty conduit. It can be mounted under the cabinet so that wire can be run between two or more fixtures.

Now that you have all that light to work by, I will be expecting a plethora of pies, a truckload of tarts, a cartful of cakes, countless cookies, and a mound of merangue. Check with my agent for the mailing address.

Seriously, several years ago, a friend asked me to do some work on his elderly mother`s house, which I was happy to do. I spent a day doing various repairs. She not only kept my coffee mug full, she made cookies and even fixed lunch. At the end of the day, she made me promise to send her a bill, which I had no intention of doing. She pestered me for a week to send it, so I finally made up a bill for 12 chocolate chip cookies. I added in the tax, which brought the total to 14.75 cookies. I soon received in the mail a box of 15 cookies, one of which had a bite taken out.

About LifeTips

Now one of the top on-line publishers in the world, LifeTips offers tips to millions of monthly visitors. Our mission mission is to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Expert writers earn dough for what they know. And exclusive sponsors in each niche topic help us make-it-all happen.

Not finding the advice and tips you need on this Home Improvement Tip Site? Request a Tip Now!


Guru Spotlight
Patricia Walters-Fischer