Software
Houzz Logo Print
karenmoranuk

Undercabinet outlets (LeGrand Adorne?)

6 years ago

In our kitchen, we are contemplating installing undercabinet outlets, possibly a product line called Adorne, made by LeGrand. I'd like to hear your experiences with this kind of product, either the Adorne line or something else you used for undercabinet outlets.

TIA!





Comments (16)

  • 6 years ago

    I looked seriously at the Adorne system. Looks nice. Only downside is price. Note that in order to consider it for legal replacement of the countertop outlets, it has to be no more than 16" over the surface.

    Karenmo thanked Ron Natalie
  • 6 years ago

    I have the Adorne system. Installed during a remodel with new cabinetry so I was able to plan for it, meaning wiring, dropping the frame trim a bit to "hide" it, etc. I absolutely love it. It was expensive, even without all of the extras like speakers, etc, but this was 3 1/2 years ago and I don't know who has what now as far as price comparison.





    Karenmo thanked tsjmjh
  • PRO
    6 years ago

    If you're getting this job permitted, check with your local building inspector to make sure these will be approved in lieu of wall outlets. I've had situations in the past where certain municipal building departments decided these weren't to code, even if they were. Better safe than sorry.

    Karenmo thanked Sabrina Alfin Interiors
  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    The cabinets have been in place since about 2004, but we have wiring on the underside of 2 of the three cabinets since we put lights there when we installed the cabinets, and there is an outlet on the wall just below the third one.

    For the under cabinet outlets, I want the outlets' front surface to be at an angle, not just the front edge of the box, so that unfortunately rules out the ones that you used, wdccruise. Dang. Their prices are so good!

    We currently have all 20 amp GFI outlets in our kitchen, and I want to keep it that way. Just got off the phone with the Task Lighting people and they told me that NONE of theirs are GFI! Another bummer -- I wanted that to work. My guess is that as time goes by they will add that to their inventory, as it sounded like they recently expanded from 15 amp only to include a series with 20 amp. But I kinda want to do this project relatively soon.

  • 6 years ago

    I don't know if this is still the case, but I dealt with a rep at Legrand who was amazingly helpful - even sent wiring diagrams for the electricians. My GC was clueless/worthless and the electrical supply company that carried it was no help, either. Many emails and phone calls with the Legrand rep - so greatly appreciated.

    Karenmo thanked tsjmjh
  • 6 years ago

    Maybe that's why the Legrand products are so pricey -- because they include what is in effect a custom design service!

  • 6 years ago

    It's a "substantial" system - nothing looks or feels cheap. The lights are great, and there are probably more options now than there were 3 1/2 - 4 years ago. We use the usb module all the time. The lights can be on a dimmer switch, which is nice. I can't stress how helpful the rep was.

  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    @Karenmo I commented above and suggested the Task Lighting for a smaller profile but deleted my above comment and am re-posting here because I think much of what I previously wrote especially about Legrand Adorne being expensive in the extreme was incorrect. I am close to making a decision for undercabinet lighting and outlets for my own renovation, and since I last wrote, I visited a lighting store that had a couple of Adorne pieces in stock that I was able to handle and measure, and I was also given a price quote that I felt was reasonable. It is the control box that is the largest part of this system, and it would hang down below essentially any cabinetry, which you can get a feel for in advertising photos. The angled power bar is about half the height of the control box and would need an under-cabinet lip of about 2" in height in order to be hid, but it's best to check the specs for sure if you were doing custom cabinetry. Since you are installing power bars into pre-existing cabinetry, you would want to make sure that the angled power bar, given its size, would be able to be mounted in some way to meet your satisfaction. For 2 control boxes, 2 power strips, and 2 lighting plug-ins, my total would have been around $500 USD before tax. I've seen posts with people paying up to $3,000 USD for Adorne systems for a large kitchen plus butler's pantry, for example, but we only need the system underneath 2 wall cabinets, so this seems reasonable to me, especially for the nice light control boxes with dimmers included.

    Sounds like you are just wanting outlets only and not lighting at this point, correct? If that is the case, then many people do a simple plugmold strip. You could easily mount that on an angle, and it would be even smaller than the Task Lighting low-profile units. Thanks for the information about none of Task Lighting's power bars being GFCI. I think we have GFCI breakers to meet the qualification, but I'll double-check. Also, most kitchen appliances wouldn't exceed 15 amp, so you're probably fine with that if you end up with no other solutions. There is discussion in other threads about plugs sometimes falling out of angled strips, so mounting a plugmold straight against the wall would help with the tension on plugs if you ever had a problem with that, just something to keep in mind. Also, I think that in most jurisdictions in the United States, the maximum amount above the countertop that undercabinet outlets may be mounted is 20" (higher than a previous poster stated), but it appears you are in the UK, so your regulations may be entirely different.

  • 6 years ago

    Thanks for this update! I am in Virginia, not the UK, though I did live in London at one time.
    Today I am going to visit a store that sells Lutron products and other electrical supplies. I'll ask if they have the Adorn boxes as samples so I can check them out. I am encouraged to hear the reasonable prices! It would not be much more than the wiremold strips which would require some futzing with carpentry to get them at the "right" angle like the one built-in to the Adorn product. And integrating lighting would be nice tho we can arrange it separately.

    One of my dilemmas is how to run any strip across the underside of the cabinets where two large cabinets come together and the edge "hangs down" about an inch below the bottom of the cabinets. It doesn't seem too wise to cut away too much of this wood if it's important for the integrity of the cabinets. See photos




    .

  • 6 years ago

    Watch the 5:43 length video linked to this Legrand Adorne Under-Cabinet 12" Modular Track webpage on Amazon. The cabinets pictured are similar to yours. Note that the tracks are attached to spacers and hang below the undersides of the cabinets.

    Karenmo thanked wdccruise
  • 6 years ago

    What @wdccruise said; don't cut your cabinets. Hang everything below those crosswalls.

    Karenmo thanked Aglitter
  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    Another tip, note that as @wdccruise said and linked to in the instructional video, Adorne offers spacers to set the power strips down below the undersides of the cabinets so they will cross over those cabinet-to-cabinet end walls. I believe they also offer a GFCI box as well as plug-in options to go with existing outlets. Check out the Legrand Adorne website and try to find someone who sells these regularly who can help with different configurations. I'm seeing several reviews on Amazon that the Legrand Adorne under-cabinet system is emitting a constant buzz which would drive me crazy. At first I thought it might be the lights themselves, but then I saw another review on the Legrand website that indicates the buzzing comes from the control boxes. If you see my last paragraph update below, it does have to do with the lights but can be corrected by adjustment to the control box.

    As for lighting, Legrand has discontinued the puck lights and have added a new, 2nd style of bar light that is diffused (the 1st, original bar light that is still available has a row of tiny, individual lights that are visibly separated). It also looks like the option to plug in this system to an existing outlet has been discontinued and that all the bars must be hardwired.

    Update on the buzzing situation: I saw this solution from Legrand technical support on its website regarding the buzzing in the undercabinet systems:

    The Paddle dimmer that is in the control box has a calibration wheel under the Paddle switch to adjust for flickering or buzzing with some LED's. This process is explained in the instruction sheet (step 6):

    https://www.legrand.us/-/media/brands/adorne/resources/installation-instructions/dimmers/adorne-install-adpd453l_340973.ashx

    Karenmo thanked Aglitter
  • PRO
    6 years ago

    An outlet can be GFCI protected and not be an actual GFCI outlet. Discuss with a licensed electrician.


    You can cut the cabinet box int that point t has zero effect on the box's structural integrity.

    Karenmo thanked Brian Gannon
  • 6 months ago

    I had the Legrand Adorne system installed in 2015, and the manufacturer promptly replaced one linear light that quit. Now the system is discontinued, and the replacement lights are unavailable. Has anyone else faced this problem?