How To Install Led Strip Lights On A Wall

Without sounding dramatic, LED strip light is one of the best offerings of modern inventions. Most modern homes and workspaces have replaced the traditional lights bulbs with LEDs.

These are energy-efficient, produce less heat, and are environment friendly. Besides, LED strip lights to have a brightness that traditional lights cannot boast about. It is no wonder that LEDs are a top favourite of lighting designers and architects worldwide.

But if you ask around, the top-selling point for LEDs is their ease of installation. It is due to a combination of factors – LEDs are low profile and extremely flexible. Therefore, even homeowners and DIYers can decorate their living spaces without any skill and get professional results.

So how do you install LED strip lights on a wall? Find out below.

Contents

Steps to install LED strip lights on a wall.

Step 1. Gather your supplies.

Before you can install the light strips, you need to know which one to purchase. It’s a good idea to measure the area where you plan to install the LED strips. LED strip lights come in two densities.

High-density LED strips – Here, there are about 60 LEDs per metre so you can cut them after every two inches. High-density LED strips are much brighter, and they have about 40 watts.
Standard density LED strips – These have 30 LEDs per metre, which means you can cut them four inches apart. They are not as bright as high-density ones but have excellent 27-watt power.

Step 2. Cut and connect the strips.

In most cases, installing LED strips will require you to join separate strips. Cutting the strips into required lengths is straightforward. There are cutting lines on the strips, which indicates the right place to cut them. If you cut the strips in the wrong place, you can damage the strips’ lighting, so a little bit of care is essential. You can use a pair of regular scissors for the same.

Although this sounds complicated, you can use plug-in connectors to connect the LED strips easily. Using the connectors may also be necessary to plug the LED strips to an outlet. Take a look at this LED strip connector kit. Strip connectors also make it effortless to connect the LED strips to a power source.

Step 3. Prepare the wall surface.

LED strip lights are much like stick on fixtures. So cleaning the surface before you mount them is crucial. A soft cloth dipped in warm water is enough to clean the area. It gets rid of dirt and oil on the wall. Use another cloth to wipe the area dry so that no moisture is left.

If the wall where you intend to put the LED strips have tough stains, using a solution of equal parts, water and vinegar work great. Alternatively, you can also you isopropyl alcohol mixed with water in the ratio 70:30.

Furthermore, the wall surface should be smooth like metal, ceramic tile, plastic or even wood. Installing LED strips to uneven, rough, or unstable surfaces will compromise the longevity of the light fixture.

Step 4. Unroll and paste.

Regardless of the type, LED strips come in a spool. If you have already unrolled them to connect different ends, you can go ahead, remove the backing adhesive, and start sticking the strips to the desired wall.

If you have not cut the strips, unroll the LED strip’s required length and paste it to the wall. After you paste the LED strip, press it down firmly with your fingers. This will get rid of air bubbles and make the strip stick well.

To ensure that the LED strips do not budge, you can also use fixing clips. You can use a small screwdriver to secure the clip to the wall. However, this may only work if you have a wooden wall.

Step 5. Connect.

After you are confident that the LED strips are securely installed on the wall, you are ready to connect it. LED strips typically come with a power adaptor and a controller, so you need to check that the components are working correctly. After doing so, you can plug-it in the electrical outlet.

And there you have it! You LED strip light installation on the wall is complete.

Try changing the colours of the light by pressing the corresponding colour on the remote.

Points for consideration while installing LED strip light on walls

Installing solderless LED strip lights is so much easier. In this case, you do not have to solder the wires to the light strips since the strip connectors do all the work. However, soldering LED strips to a power supply require additional supplies. Also, you need to have some idea about soldering correctly to avoid accidents. However, if you decide to install an LED strip by soldering the wires, it becomes a more permanent fixture.

While connecting the LED strips to a power supply, matching the polarities is paramount. So, the positive + links to the positive + and vice versa. Connecting the wire and power supply with the wrong polarity will damage the LED strip ultimately.

LED strip lights will generate some amount of heat during operation. Using a cooling system such as anodic oxide aluminium can cool the light considerably. In addition to cooling the light fixture, anodic oxide mounts also reduce the chance of electric shocks, which is fantastic. Regardless of using the anodic oxide, LED strips lose a certain degree of brightness over time.

If you plan to install LED strip lights in areas with moisture such as the bathroom, you can choose the waterproof variety. Since they resist the accumulation of water and humidity, they will stick better and last longer too!

Final thoughts

Installing a light fixture on a wall has never been easier. Anyone can install LED strips with ease without prior experience. Besides, these bright and colourful lights transform even the most fundamental areas into an exciting living space. LED strip lights also come at an unbeatable price, which is just the cherry on top.

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