Diode ceiling lighting has both advantages and disadvantages. You can make such LED lighting yourself if you follow our recommendations.
Features of the
The main features of ceiling lighting with LED elements is the ability to obtain unusual lighting of varying degrees of brightness at very low energy consumption, as well as ready-made sets, for example, for a hallway or a hall.
In addition, the versatility of the proposed LED elements and the simplicity of their installation make it possible to equip lighting without special skills in electrical engineering.
Today, the market offers elements of such lighting with a very different spectrum and different colors. Therefore, if you have hands that can hold a tool in your hands, you can transform the most familiar interior beyond recognition.
How to place?
When placing LED lighting, first of all, you need to decide what types of elements will be used. The easiest option is a central light, which has built-in LEDs in its design, either of the same color, or changing it. Typically, such chandeliers have up to six options for switching on various combinations of LED lighting and standard lighting. In this case, it can become a decoration of the room.
If, besides it, no additional light sources are planned, then the interior of the room should be guided by the point where it is fortified.
The second option assumes, in addition to central lighting, additional spotlights distributed by zones of the room … They are designed for separate illumination of the required area of the room, used for specific purposes. This is also one of the unpretentious highlights. Its only logic is that the light can be turned on in different areas of the room.
The third option involves lighting various ceiling elements with LED strips. This is one of the most interesting solutions that give room for imagination.
This lighting is done in three ways:
LED lighting works on the transparency of the stretch ceiling film… If the film is white, then you can choose LEDs that give colored lighting. In this case, a gentle light of blue, light green, pink or lilac color is obtained. If the LEDs are white, the lighting will be dim. Also, this option is used to simulate the starry sky. The difference is that for each LED, a hole is pierced in the film, which is fixed with a tie ring so that the film does not disperse from tension
To enhance the effect in this case, you can apply a luminescent paint pattern to the film or use Swarovski crystals.
LED strips are located in guide profiles for perimeter lighting… Thus, you can highlight the panel on the wall, picture, ceiling, curtain niche. The profile for attaching such a backlight must have a U-shape. The simplest option is one of the trunking strips
You can also use metal starter profiles for slatted ceilings in the desired color.
Backlight from the gap… This option does not illuminate the entire ceiling, but only a directed beam of light, illuminating the strip along the perimeter and scattering towards the center. The gaps in which the LED strip is mounted can be made in a drywall construction. The simplest option is to install the tape in the gap between the ceiling molding (cornice) made of extruded polystyrene and the ceiling. In this case, the skirting board is only mounted on the wall
The indent from the ceiling is made from one to three cm. The plinth must be additionally fixed with self-tapping screws for the strength of the structure, the heads of which are recessed, then puttyed and painted together with the plinth. The larger the gap, the wider the band of light falling from it.
With such an installation, it is very important that the installed LED strip is below the level of the plinth, otherwise all its elements will be visible in the form of a dotted line. The skirting board must also be glued in a straight line. The edge from which the beams of light are reflected must not be contaminated from the inside with putty or glue. Otherwise, the backlight strip will be torn and uneven.
Design
The design of the placement of LED lighting directly depends on the owner's imagination and the possibility of financial investments. When developing the appearance of the room, you can provide backlighting in the most unexpected places. Ceiling fixtures are a common way to illuminate a room. But besides the ceiling, there are columns, shelves, niches, decorative elements, just walls and a floor plinth. And you can place the highlight on any of the listed elements.
To enable multiple lighting points it is worth providing switches specifically for each element or balanced pair.
If the lighting is done on the sides of two or more columns, one switch will be enough for them. For a central luminaire, it is desirable to have a separate two or three-button switch depending on the number of modes and lamps.
For illumination of the ceiling from the inside or along the perimeter, illumination of panels, paintings, from below, a separate terminal equipment is displayed for everything, so that the illumination of one area does not drown out another.
The combination of lights in one case or another can be selected based on the mood or need.
When planning the lighting of a small room, it will be better to use the cool colors of the spectrum.… They seem to move objects away, warm colors, on the contrary, make the room smaller. If the light is directed only to one wall, then it will "lengthen" the small room.
Highlighting the ceiling around its perimeter will create the feeling of a higher room than it really is.
Equipment selection and installation
From building markets today, LED strips are offered that operate on voltages of 12 and 220 volts. On the one hand, when using a 220-volt tape, there is no need to install additional equipment in the form of a step-down transformer, they are connected via an LED bridge and operate on direct current. On the other hand, the series connection of LEDs on such strips is mounted in sections 1 meter long. If one of the elements burns out, then the meter of the tape stops working.
In addition, as the voltage rises, the temperature generated by the LED elements also rises. The compact rectifier is installed at the point of contact with the power supply cord. If the assembly is designed for 12 volts, then the chain consists of only three elements and resistors.
In the event of a breakdown of one of the LEDs, only two more of this circuit stop working. When compared to safety, 12 volts is, of course, much less than 220.
Hence the conclusion: tapes designed for 12 volts will last longer and are easier to repair in case of failure of any of the elements.
LED strips are available in different light spectrum - cold and warm, different power and color. When calculating the number of light elements, approximately the need for 5 kW per meter of illuminated surface is taken.
In addition to the LED strip, you can use built-in lamps, which can be both overhead and built-in. Sometimes they are equipped with touch switches, sometimes they need to be built into the entire home lighting system using conventional switches.
Recently, lamps have become common, called filament … These are LED lamps with a glass bulb and a base familiar to everyone. These lamps are used in standard center and side lighting fixtures to save energy.
They were developed in Japan less than ten years ago. In fact, this is the replacement of incandescent bulbs with more energy-efficient ones. Even the name contains, speaking in Russian, a filament. You don't need to tell anyone how to screw such lamps into standard sockets, the main thing is to choose a base of the right size.
When installing LED strips, it is imperative to observe the condition of sticking them to a smooth, grease-free surface.
Manufacturers often apply a sticky layer to the back of the product for gluing. In practice, this glue is very weak. The tape begins to lag behind the base almost immediately after installation. therefore it is better to use the usual "liquid nails" or silicone sealant.
The installation of the guides directly depends on the chosen location for the backlight. When fastening the base with self-tapping screws or dowel-nails, it is imperative to heat the head so that the tape does not bend in this place.
Any bending of the tape will disrupt the geometry of the light stream. It is easiest to use plastic corners or parts of cable channels as guides.… Which one to choose depends on the direction of the light flow.
If the base is a corner, the light will be more diffused. If you need a certain direction, it is better to take an u-shaped profile, at the bottom of which you can hide an element of light. In the photo, the LED strip is glued to the bottom of the metal starter profile from the slatted ceiling.
To create illumination in the light of a stretch ceiling, a frame is first mounted either from plastic or from ordinary profiles for drywall, after which LED elements are attached to it, not forgetting to hide either behind the ceiling or in a secluded but accessible place, a step-down transformer.
The cable can be laid in a gutter and plastered. After checking the operation of the installed system, you can stretch the ceiling.
When arranging spotlights in a plasterboard structure, standard electrical wiring is made, holes with a diameter for the lamp seat are drilled in the ceiling structure. Luminaires are connected and mounted after complete painting of the ceiling.
Here are interesting options for structures in several levels and the side arrangement of lamps in each tier in a checkerboard pattern. With this design, fairly bright lighting in the room is obtained. Also side lighting can be combined with downlights.
Tips & Tricks
When choosing an LED element, it is better to take a more powerful element than the calculation showed, since manufacturers tend to overestimate the characteristics of their products.
- The blue highlight shows the smallest defects in the ceiling. Therefore, it is better to use blue for stretch ceilings. Even a perfectly finished plasterboard ceiling can appear defective in this kind of lighting.
- Opt for LED strips running at 12 volts for a more maintainable design.
- Observe the perfect evenness of all lines on which the lighting will fall. Irregularities will cast a shadow that can ruin the whole picture.
- Don't skimp on switches. They should be located in places where it will be convenient to use them to illuminate a particular place in the room. The more the lighting of the apartment is divided into zones, the more interesting and economical it is.
- Don't dwell on just LED strips. For original lighting, you can use LED panels of various sizes, side and floor spotlights.
- When laying the LED strip in the gap between the ceiling and the ceiling plinth, never try to use products made of ordinary expanded polystyrene. They shine through. When the light is turned on, all joints, brush marks and other defects are visible through them. Only products made of durable extruded polystyrene should be used. If it is already finished in color and decorated, choose such places for fixing it with self-tapping screws, which can be putty and tinted without prejudice to its appearance.
- Provide ventilation for both lighting elements and auxiliary equipment, provide niches for transformers. Do not place LED light elements very close to unprotected stretch ceilings.
Beautiful examples in the interior
- Asymmetric illumination looks stylish. It is most suitable for modern interiors. This kind of lighting is used in many rooms. For the bedroom, it is used to create a subdued and romantic setting.
- It is not necessary to use only classic white light, yellow is also suitable for this purpose.
How to make LED backlighting with your own hands, see the next video.