Three channels, three mounting situations
Every LED channel question reduces to where the strip sits relative to the eye. Light washing down from under a cabinet wants a channel that disappears. Light thrown across a corner or a rack wants a channel that aims. Light coming through a glass shelf wants a channel that hides behind the shelf itself. Those are the three profiles.
If the fixture will be visible and flush is the goal, rout for it. All three channels recess into a groove, and the groove dimensions below are the exact numbers to hand your CNC or router operator.
Picasso: recessed and invisible
The Picasso channel sits in a routed groove 17.4mm wide by 8.2mm deep and disappears completely into the cabinet. It is the default for under-cabinet task lighting, closet shelving and any concealed run where the surface should read as unlit until the light is on. If you are unsure which channel a job needs, it is usually this one.
Dali: light at 45 degrees
The Dali channel sits in a routed groove 17.02mm wide by 10.16mm deep and projects its light at 45°. That angle is the point: it lets a strip mounted in one plane light a surface in another. Wine racks are the classic use, and it earns its place in cabinet corners, coves and angled display niches where a straight-down wash would miss the subject.
Monet: behind glass shelves
The Monet channel sits in a routed groove 12.5mm wide by 8mm deep and is built to install behind glass shelves up to 8mm thick. The strip edge-lights the glass, and the shelf itself becomes the fixture with a soft backlit glow. Display cabinets, bar niches and walk-in closet shelving are its territory. Check the shelf thickness before you spec it; 8mm is the limit.
Choosing a diffuser
Each channel takes a polycarbonate diffuser in four grades: clear at 100% light transmission, frosted at 80%, milky at 60% and opal at 50%. The trade is always output against softness.
One thing the diffuser does not need to do here is hide LED dots. Our COB strips are dot-free on their own, so pick by effect instead: clear or frosted where the light is doing work, over a counter or inside a wardrobe, and milky or opal where the light is the atmosphere, in coves and display backlighting.
Pairing channel and strip
All three profiles take LED strips up to 12mm wide, and the aluminum body acts as a heatsink that extends the strip's life. Mounting clips go every 300mm, and end caps close the run for a finished look.
On the strip side, Regular COB cuts at 50mm intervals and suits runs that land on standard increments; Cut Anywhere COB cuts at any point for runs that must end exactly where the cabinet does. Both are 24V and dimmable. The full breakdown is on the light strips page.
Sourcing and ordering
Channels are a stock item in 3000mm lengths, cut on site like any extrusion, so they should never sit on your schedule's critical path. We stock all three profiles and all four diffusers at our Concord, ON shop for same-day pickup, and supply cabinet makers, kitchen designers and millwork shops across the GTA. The channel range is here, with no minimum order.
The short version
- Picasso recesses and disappears: under cabinets and concealed runs, groove 17.4mm by 8.2mm.
- Dali aims light at 45°: wine racks, corners and coves, groove 17.02mm by 10.16mm.
- Monet backlights glass shelves up to 8mm thick: display work, groove 12.5mm by 8mm.
- Diffusers trade output for softness: clear 100%, frosted 80%, milky 60%, opal 50%. COB strips are already dot-free.
- All three take strips up to 12mm wide and come in stock 3000mm lengths, same-day pickup.