Installing LED strip lighting help

[T5GRF]

I have been looking around for a few weeks online for examples of how to install LED strip lights into either a recessed ceiling or at the margin of the ceiling and the wall but can't really find anything that helps. We are taking down a number of existing ceilings and installing new so we have the opportunity to hide the strip but I am struggling to get to grips with how this would work.

Any help or examples would be appreciated, if it helps I will be using Sunpower (Megaman) strips.

[5potTurbo]

Suggest you PM E36GUY .... or look up many of the LED threads on PH as loads of us have bought through Guy.


EDIT: or, look at Muncher's thread.... he installed recessed LED strips, also from E36GUY's employers.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[silverthorn2151]

I have recently had loads of LED lighting installed in an office building in the City in a detail at the junction of wall and ceiling.

There are a few pointers that I would suggest you bear in mind.

1. Do not under any circumstances buy cheap. We found significant colour variance in one area where the contractor used a particular supplier.
2. Be sure of what colour you want, which follows point 1. Colour is expressed as a colour temperature.
3. Don't forget you have to have a driver for each strip and that needs to go somewhere accessible and there is a maximum lead length.
4. The design of the recess is best if it avoids any direct sight of the LED's themselves.

I'm sure all of that is pretty basic but if there is an expert on here who can add to the above it would be useful. Very much flavour of the month in commercial office fit outs and common parts.

[VEX]

Guy / E36 is the man to talk to. His are the only LED strips I use and their psu's cope with dimming on both Lutron and Rako systems.

Not the cheapest, but certainly the most reliable I have used.

V.

[Salesy]

T5GRF said:

I have been looking around for a few weeks online for examples of how to install LED strip lights into either a recessed ceiling or at the margin of the ceiling and the wall but can't really find anything that helps. We are taking down a number of existing ceilings and installing new so we have the opportunity to hide the strip but I am struggling to get to grips with how this would work.

Any help or examples would be appreciated, if it helps I will be using Sunpower (Megaman) strips.

I have recently completed and install using a product called micro blade. Its a plaster extrusion that gets fitted the the LED strip installed in that.

A couple of pictures

[VEX]

OOooooo, thats very nice.

V.

[E36GUY]

VEX said:

OOooooo, thats very nice.

V.

Yes it is! Gonna look that up!

[Job38]

Nice find!

I tend to specify these http://www.orlight.com/products/linear-led/

[T5GRF]

Thanks for the replies. If I fitted the strips into a recess in the new ceiling, are the drivers small enough to fit inside a profile strip? If not what is the best way of hiding the drivers without plastering them into the ceiling given that they have a finite lifespan?

[silverthorn2151]

they are certainly bigger than that. We have access hatches built into the ceiling. Either that or record where they are so the ceiling can be opened and then made good at a later date.

[Salesy]

T5GRF said:

Thanks for the replies. If I fitted the strips into a recess in the new ceiling, are the drivers small enough to fit inside a profile strip? If not what is the best way of hiding the drivers without plastering them into the ceiling given that they have a finite lifespan?

Is the switch for this in a stud wall? if so you can dump the driver in through the switch box.

For a dimming driver these tend to be bigger than a normal transformer, and obviously the longer the strip the higher rated driver is needed.

Typically this strip is 14.4W per meter as it uses the 5050 SMD (LED CHIP)

[Salesy]

Heres another picture showing the strip mounted in an aluminium extrusion close to the plinth.

[E36GUY]

T5GRF said:

Thanks for the replies. If I fitted the strips into a recess in the new ceiling, are the drivers small enough to fit inside a profile strip? If not what is the best way of hiding the drivers without plastering them into the ceiling given that they have a finite lifespan?

Unlikely but I guess that will depend on the width/depth of your recess and the amount of strip - thus size of PSU you need. Assuming somewhere in the room you have down lights, the Power Supplies for the strips could be hidden behind/to the side of one of them thus remaining accessible if required.

[T5GRF]

Thanks a Guy. The profile that I liked the look of is this one : http://www.wmboyle.co.uk/images/productPhoto/c372e...
That was however until I saw the price of a 2 meter strip at £68, I need 55 meters of it...

Has anybody used anything similar that might be a bit more sensibly priced?

[Brother D]

I've seen few installs here where normal quadrant has been used obviously dropped down and inch and then the led strips just layed behind it. e.g.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Royal-Mouldings-9-16-in...

Fix a strip of triangular moulding then nail the moulding to the wall. However it is critical to get the space uniform between the top of the moulding and the ceiling just right.

I'll probably be doing this in my place in the near future as I have concrete ceilings and no ceiling lights in some rooms.

[5potTurbo]

Brother D said:

I've seen few installs here where normal quadrant has been used obviously dropped down and inch and then the led strips just layed behind it. e.g.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Royal-Mouldings-9-16-in...

Fix a strip of triangular moulding then nail the moulding to the wall. However it is critical to get the space uniform between the top of the moulding and the ceiling just right.

I'll probably be doing this in my place in the near future as I have concrete ceilings and no ceiling lights in some rooms.

That's the stuff my brother uses, but since he lives in the U.S. that makes a trip to Home Depot rather easier

[E36GUY]

T5GRF said:

Thanks a Guy. The profile that I liked the look of is this one : http://www.wmboyle.co.uk/images/productPhoto/c372e...
That was however until I saw the price of a 2 meter strip at £68, I need 55 meters of it...

Has anybody used anything similar that might be a bit more sensibly priced?

To be fair mate, you could do that with normal coving or dado/picture rail. No need to go and buy something so expensive. For example, use a chamfered batten behind regular coving to space it from the wall or ceiling. Or both. Installation pic of this below.

[T5GRF]

Thanks Guy, that looks really nice. Have you got any pictures of the detail behind the coving to understand how it joins the wall and where the strip is located?

[E36GUY]

In that installation, it's just a chamfered batten on the wall with LED above and below then the coving screwed on, filled and painted. Very simple really but sadly, no before or during photos