Kitchen Lighting and Remodel Electrical in Tulsa

Kitchen lighting and remodel electrical in Tulsa and Broken Arrow

The kitchen is the hardest-working room in the house electrically. It has the most outlets, the most dedicated circuits, the most code requirements and the lighting that matters most. Hot Shot Electric Service Co. handles kitchen lighting installation and remodel electrical for homes in Tulsa, Broken Arrow and the surrounding towns, from adding under-cabinet lights to wiring a full remodel with your contractor.

Kitchen lighting that works

Good kitchen lighting comes in layers. Recessed or ceiling lights for general light, pendants over the island, and under-cabinet lights so the counter in front of you is not in your own shadow. We plan the layers together and put them on separate switches and dimmers, so the kitchen can be bright for cooking and soft for the evening.

• Recessed lighting laid out for even light across counters and walkways
• Pendants over islands and peninsulas, hung at the right height
• LED under-cabinet lighting, hardwired with a switch rather than plug-in strips
• Toe-kick and in-cabinet lighting
• Dimmers matched to LED fixtures so nothing flickers or hums

The circuits a kitchen needs

Current code calls for at least two small-appliance circuits for countertop outlets, plus dedicated circuits for appliances like the refrigerator, dishwasher, disposal, microwave and range. Countertop outlets need GFCI protection and are spaced so no stretch of counter is far from one. Islands need outlets too. When an older kitchen is remodeled, these are the places where the existing wiring usually falls short.

Working with your remodeler

Most kitchen remodels involve a contractor or cabinet company, and we fit into their schedule: rough-in once the walls are open, trim-out once cabinets and counters are set. We read the cabinet plan, mark box locations with you or your contractor, and pull the permit where the city requires one. Customers doing minor kitchen work have told us the crew was tidy and answered their unrelated questions while they were there.

Appliance upgrades

A new induction range, double oven, built-in microwave or second refrigerator often needs a circuit the old kitchen never had. We check the panel's capacity before you buy, so a new range does not arrive to find no circuit for it. If the panel is full, we will explain the options, which may include a subpanel or an electrical panel upgrade.

Updating an older kitchen without a full remodel

You do not need a full remodel to get better light and safer outlets. Common smaller projects:

1. Adding hardwired under-cabinet lighting to existing cabinets
2. Replacing a single ceiling fixture with recessed lighting
3. Adding GFCI protection to countertop outlets
4. Adding an outlet on the island or where cords stretch across the counter
5. Putting pendants over an island that has only a ceiling light

For more on fixtures in the rest of the house, see lighting installation. For outlets and GFCI, see outlet installation and repair.

Outdoor kitchens

If the remodel continues out the back door, outdoor kitchens have their own requirements for weatherproof outlets, GFCI protection and dedicated circuits. See outdoor kitchen electrical.

Island pendants and how high they hang

Pendants over an island usually hang so the bottom of the fixture sits roughly 30 to 36 inches above the counter, high enough to see across and low enough to light the work surface. The number of pendants depends on the island's length and the size of the fixtures. We set the boxes evenly over the island during rough-in, which is much easier than moving them after the ceiling is finished.

Small appliances and countertop circuits

Coffee makers, toasters, air fryers and kettles each draw a lot of power. Two on the same circuit can trip a breaker every morning. Kitchens built decades ago often have the whole counter on one circuit. Splitting the countertop outlets across at least two circuits, as current code requires, ends that problem.

Electrical for a kitchen in an older house

Older Tulsa and Broken Arrow kitchens sometimes have ungrounded outlets, aluminum branch wiring, or circuits shared with other rooms. A remodel is the right time to fix all of that while the walls are open. We check what is there before the plan is final, so there are no surprises once demolition starts.

A typical kitchen project, start to finish

We start with the layout and an appliance list, check the panel and the existing circuits, and mark every box location. Rough-in happens with the walls open: new circuits, boxes for pendants and recessed lights, under-cabinet feeds and switch locations. After the inspection and drywall, cabinets and counters go in. We come back to set the outlets, switches, fixtures and under-cabinet lights, test every circuit and label the panel. You end up with a kitchen where every outlet works, nothing trips when two appliances run at once, and the lighting is right for every hour of the day.

Pricing and warranty

Kitchen lighting and remodel electrical is quoted up front after we see the space and the plan, and estimates for planned work are free. Fixtures and devices we supply carry our one-year warranty on manufactured items. Financing is available for larger projects; see pricing.

If you are only refreshing the kitchen rather than remodeling it, the same planning applies on a smaller scale. Tell us what bothers you about the room, such as dark counters, too few outlets or a breaker that trips at breakfast, and we will suggest the changes that make the biggest difference for the least disruption.