Ceiling perimeter lighting with their own hands

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A perimeter lighted ceiling is not only an attractive interior design for the most sophisticated fashion connoisseurs, but also a practical realization of a small investment for a large benefit. Along with beauty, such a ceiling will create additional light to the installed light sources.

Depending on the power of the fixtures installed as backlighting, you can achieve a glow that will not require the main sources of light. A dimmer will allow you to change the brightness for work and evening atmospheres. About this and all the subtleties of lighting equipment and options for installing your perimeter ceiling lighting will be discussed further below.

Not all light sources are suitable

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We will consider three options, but we will not be able to install all of them, because some require installation during repair. It should be noted at once that Lighting LED strips will be the most convenient and energy efficient solution.

Over the last century, technological advances have reached into every home. LED lighting has completely superseded outdated light sources.

Fluorescent and gas discharge economy lamps

In some cases, when the repair is not yet made, and is only in the project phase, you can lay in drywall niches wire to any convenient location and use as perimeter lighting conventional fluorescent or gas-discharge economical lamps as perimeter lighting. Such illumination will do a good job, but the ceiling with perimeter illumination with lamps will have a number of disadvantages:

• Outdated option;
• high power consumption;
• lack of remote control and variety of shades.

Conclusion: not suitable for ceiling perimeter illumination.

Cold neon or El cord

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Such room lighting will be a very interesting option, but, as a rule, such a device is better to use to emphasize some special contours, as a large amount of light such a cord will not give. In our case, we need to achieve the maximum level of illumination, not only for beauty, but also for usefulness, so let's go further.

El cord is not suitable for highlighting the perimeter of the ceiling because of the weak luminous flux.

LED strip

Option with LED strip Is powered by a constant voltage from a 12 V power supply. Has a high luminous flux and many colors. Several colors can be installed on one strip. Thanks to the control module, you can choose the one you like today.

Ease of installation and low cost, along with the versatility of use will be the perfect formula to opt for it. Next, we will return to this source of light and tell in more detail the secrets and subtleties of installation of such a light fixture.

The length of one section of such a bobbin is 5 m.

Features of LED strip lighting

Performing lighting along the perimeter of the ceiling, take advantage of a small trick. Such lighting can be installed not only in a pre-done niche in the ceiling. You can apply a universal skirting board for the ceiling, but this is not the only option. Such a skirting has a special niche, where the LED strip will fit perfectly.

The strip is mounted in the plinth thanks to its sticky base, and the wires can also be successfully placed there. The peculiarities of installation and the subtleties of connecting sections we will discuss below. Skirting can be plastic, foam and aluminum

If you do not want to make installation in this way, it is enough to glue it in any place convenient for you, such as the top of the furniture in the kitchen or any tall furniture in the room. To hide the power wire, use a cable duct, it will reliably protect and hide the unwanted picture.

Skirting should be mounted below the ceiling level, this will give the effect of floating and greater dispersion of light, such installation is best done in large rooms, such as a hall or bedroom.

How to make lighting with lamps

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The ceiling can be illuminated with more than just ribbons and tubes. You can accentuate the feature of your ceiling in an uncomplicated way. Installation track lighting allows you to create spot lighting areas as you wish. Some models are adapted specifically for ceiling illumination. The light sources are gas discharge and LED lamps.

Track lights can be directed to the desired direction. Some models are designed specifically for ceiling illumination.

The original solution to lighting the perimeter of the ceiling and not only would be the use of linear lights. Thanks to the overhead design they can be placed on the wall and directed to the ceiling. But perhaps the most ingenious solution, if you just planned the repair, would be the use of a recessed profile with a diffuser.

Such a solution can be implemented during the next repair. You can install it not only in the ceiling, but also in the drywall. As a source of light are LEDs around the perimeter of the bar

Thanks to the design, it can be installed in any position and thus create geometric outlines, which almost no one has ever seen. As elements of light in it is best to install a LED strip, it will give a uniform brightness along its entire length.

Illumination of the ceiling and walls with a mortise profile.

Read also

Light strips on the suspended ceiling - types and features

 

Installation of LED strip

LED strip around the perimeter of the stretch ceiling will look best in the skirting board due to the fact that the diffused light will be reflected from its surface. Such a solution can be applied in almost any large room and even in the bathroom. By the way, when installing in the bathroom do not forget about safety rules and use a tape with a degree of protection IP68 - this will protect you and your equipment from a short circuit.

Silicone-encapsulated versions are not afraid of water, but they get hotter.

A ceiling with perimeter lighting with the help of a skirting board is done in the following order:

1. It is necessary to CalculateHow many meters of LED strip you will need. When buying the tape, choose a powerful power supply. One piece of bright white tape can create up to 100 watts of load.
2. Measure the length of the baseboard and decide which one you will use. Styrofoam baseboards can be easily glued down, plastic and aluminum are likely to require drilling into the wall for dowels.
3. Measure the wire that you will power the power supply and tape, decide on the location of the power supply.
4. If you decide to install multicolor lighting, think about buying a controller, it will allow you to switch the modes of the backlight with a remote.
5. If you don't have a soldering iron, get connectors to connect the ribbon sections.
6. If you do have a soldering iron, check out the thematic video below.
7. Go shopping.

Tip: Choose a skirting board that suits you best. For rooms with low ceilings, this is a better option.

When you go shopping, assume that you will need an average of 8000 Lm of light output to light a room that is 3 meters wide by 4 meters long, and has a ceiling height of 3 meters. Divide this value as you like and depending on how much light you want to add.

Read also

Calculation of power supply for 12v LED strip

 

The light output is measured in lumens and is listed on the packaging. Select the power supply based on the power consumption of the strip, it is also indicated on the package. The power reserve of the power supply should be at least 20%.

Tip: If your ceiling has recesses, then the use of a skirting board is automatically ruled out. Mounting in this case is made by gluing the strip on the surface of the niche, the LEDs must be directed towards the ceiling.

LED strip is connected to the power supply with a cable with a cross section of 2 wires of 0.75 mm each² each. It is not recommended to use a wire with a smaller diameter. Currents can be up to 10 A.

It should be noted that the LED strip will not tolerate bending at an acute angle. It is based on a printed circuit board, so all corners are recommended cut in the specified places and solder or connect with connectors.

Video: How to solder tape correctly.

First install the baseboard, and then proceed to install the tape. Note that you should not use acid solder when using a soldering iron. Over time, they corrode the soldering points and the contact is broken, later such an installation will cause the tape to flicker.

The tape is mounted in a whole section not more than 5 meters long. If we need to power a perimeter with more than 5 meters, then the next 5 meters are connected to the mains not in series with the previous tape, but again from the power supply.

This is the right way to do it.

Pull the cable straight from the place where the unit is installed or from the place where you can cut into the core before connecting the tape, but in no case connect to the end of the tape that comes before the previous one.

After the baseboard is installed, proceed to install the tape. To do this, first solder all the joints, then remove the protective layer of the adhesive side and carefully glue it into the baseboard. Be sure to go over all joints with a soldering iron or use connectors.

The order of gluing the tape.

Additional equipment for connection

When the lighting on the perimeter of the ceiling is already done, you can supplement it with a useful device. The LED strip controller allows you to control the modes of the strip by remote control.

Controller with remote control for colored (RGB) ribbon.

Such a device is simply plugged into the circuit after the power supply and does not require any special installation skills. With this equipment you can control four colors of the ribbon at the same time and use the color that you prefer at a given time.

Read also

Connecting the dimmer to the LED strip

 

Useful tips

An example of combined lighting. The lighting is made by means of a built-in profile in a plasterboard niche.

You don't have to think too much about tape mounting method. All of the above methods of attachment help to accurately hide traces of installation and make sure that the upgrade fits into the interior. LED strip can be glued to the cabinet or to the base of the ceiling, how to do it is up to you. The main thing is that it is beneficial.