In today’s world, LED strip lighting is one of the most popular types of both indoor and outdoor lighting. It works great in our homes, offices or commercial spaces. It can be used as ambient lighting in our kitchens, bathrooms and living rooms. It will be a good choice for people wanting some task lighting in the office. It creates an amazing, cosy and pleasant atmosphere. What’s more, installing LED strip lighting is really easy. You don’t need any electrical knowledge! We will show you how to do it properly!
Find the right LED strip lights
The very first thing you need to do is to find the best tape adapted to your needs and preferences. LED strip lights are available in a full range of colours. There are amber, blue, green, red and pink strips available on the lighting market.
When it comes to colour temperatures, you can choose between cool, neutral and warm white. However, if you’re a fan of colours, you are free to choose more than one colour. Just make a purchase of colour changing strip lights!
Also, you have the opportunity to choose between a large range of brightness options. To be more precise, LED strips come in different wattages and the number varies from 5 watts to about 25 watts. This means that it’s more than easy to achieve the desired effect with numerous options, without much effort.
Consider the width of the strip
You have to measure the area where you want to place your LED lights. You have to compare it with the width of the strip light. Everything must fit together! Most often you can buy 5m long reels of LED strip lights. The good thing is that you can cut strips when necessary.
You should also bear in mind that the greater the number of LEDs per metre, the higher the light output. LED strips have a self-adhesive backing which can stick to many different surfaces. This is one of the biggest advantages of this kind of lighting.
This is not the only way to hold LED light strips in one place. It’s possible to achieve the same effect by using painters tape, until LED strips stick permanently. Small brackets or staples can help you hold strip lights in one place. However, people usually prefer the option with the use of self-adhesive backing.
Install LED light strips on a metal surface, if possible
Take into account that LED strips warm up a little bit when they are switched on. That’s why it would be better to install them on a metal surface. It would help dissipate the heat. We are aware that it’s not always possible and we suggest placing them in a profile and then mounting them to the surface with the use of brackets.
Install LED strip light(s) indoors step by step
You won’t be able to install LED strip lights without a reel of LED tape, a driver and a LED connector wire. Don’t forget to wipe down the surface area! This is something so obvious, but people tend to forget about it. The next steps are surprisingly easy.
Connect the LED strip, close the claps
You ought to connect the LED strip to the connector wire. How to do it? Just insert the end of the strip into the clip of the wire. Later you have to close the claps. It’s a matter of pressing the connector clip mentioned before (or to be more precise, pressing the back of it).
Get rid of adhesive backing
Another step is removing the adhesive backing and pressing it exactly where you want to have your desired LED strip. It can be somewhere in your kitchen, living room or anywhere you wish. You are the one who decides!
We’re almost done!
Last but not least, you have to make sure that the other end of the previously mentioned connector cable and the driver are connected. And then, this driver needs to be plugged into the power supply. Don’t forget to switch the mains power on! It’s worth mentioning that it’s not a problem at all to connect multiple strips together. Why not have a longer run of lights?
What to remember about?
We need to remember that IR sensors have to be visible. Thanks to that, it will be possible to change the colours on the fly. It should be noted that nowadays we can easily control LED strips with a remote control or a smartphone app, in accordance with the continuous and rapid developments in LED technology.
Interesting fact
It is interesting to note that if you wanted to install LED strip lights outdoors, you would need a weatherproof box for the power supply and module. Luckily, when it comes to installing strips indoors, a box like that wouldn’t be needed.
Summary
After all, installing LED strips is actually pretty simple. There are just a few easy steps you have to follow to install it in your desired location in your home. We hope that our guide will be useful for you and we keep the fingers crossed for your success!
