How to build lighting home interior? It's no secret that it is the light composition that helps to give the room an indescribable atmosphere and mood. Also, it is with the help of lighting that you can divide a room into zones, each of which has its own purpose. A successful lighting solution for each individual room of the apartment is selected in accordance with the function that the room performs and in accordance with the personal wishes of the person who will continue to live in this apartment. Perhaps a person will want to make some changes in the light interior without resorting to major repairs of the zone. Illumination for cabinets in the kitchen, mirrors with special lighting in the bathroom, LED strips in the decoration of the bedroom and living room are some of the possible options that a person can easily do, giving the interior a certain mood and atmosphere.
Interior lighting features
Illumination of certain areas in the kitchen can carry an exclusively decorative purpose, but it is much more useful to think through a layout scheme for additional lighting in order to ensure its functionality. The easiest way to do the lighting in the kitchen under the cabinets with their own hands. It is carried out using LED strip, and its main functional purpose is the lighting of the countertop. Also, LED strip is used to illuminate the area under the drawers and inside the drawers - for a more convenient use of space, and to give a certain character to the kitchen area, if the backlight is mounted near the floor level. The lighting under the cabinets in the kitchen is one of the most common solutions for the design of this room, the LED lighting of the eaves in the kitchen, highlighting certain niches, and imitating the bar counter in the kitchen area also look no less spectacular.
What is an LED strip?
LED strip is a fairly new and very affordable replacement for lighting systems that are difficult to install. It is a flexible tape on which semiconductor elements - LEDs are sequentially fixed.
Using LED strip is safe: it does not contain fragile and dangerous elements, is simple enough for installation and further use, and provides the necessary rate for lighting and backlighting. That is why with its help, lighting is provided for the kitchen under the cabinets. LED strip exists in various varieties: one-color or multi-color, a modification that has protection against moisture and dust, varieties with different sizes of LEDs and their number, as well as varieties that require different voltage and work directly from the network.
When choosing LEDs to illuminate the cabinet in the kitchen, you should also pay attention to such characteristics as the color of the base of the tape, the heat-resistant and moisture-proof qualities of adhesive tape. Typically, LED strip light provides sufficient lighting to remove shadow from the wall cabinets.
The nuances of working with LED strip
What is important to remember when working with LED strip and its installation, when lighting is provided under the cabinets in the kitchen? First of all, the tape can be cut and soldered only in special marked areas. On single-row tape, these sections are located every three diodes, on a double-row - every six. To connect sections of such a lighting device, special connectors may be required, and special power supplies may be required to install some types of tapes. They are necessary, since it is a direct current of low voltage that is suitable for LED strips when the backlight for the kitchen is installed. Under the cabinets with a socket is a power supply, which will later be connected to the network. The power supply is selected according to the following calculations:
Power supply power = Tape length * Power 1 meter tape + 20% in the form of power reserve.
When connecting the lighting device to the power supply, it is worth remembering the polarity. If you need to install several large segments of the LED strip, it is important to prepare a separate power supply unit for each or power the segment separately from it. By connecting these segments in series to each other, you may encounter a situation where the next segment will give too dim light and fail quickly enough.
Multicolor led strip
When using multi-color LED strips, you can also use a controller with a control panel that allows you to configure the lighting program, change colors, add various effects, for example, flicker.
Backlight for the kitchen under the cabinets: photo
There are many options for designing the working space of the kitchen with the help of such lighting fixtures. With your own hands you can install a multi-color system, the lighting in which can vary depending on the program installed on the controller or manually. Also, LED thread can be imperceptibly fixed under the cabinets, performing a decorative function. The kitchen lighting for the LED corner cabinets can be installed using a special corner aluminum profile, which is purchased in hardware stores and supermarkets.
How to install LED strip in the kitchen: the necessary preparations
For installation, you will need LED strips (the most pleasant and relaxing is the warm white light), a power supply for LEDs, a connecting wire and a power cord with a plug. Even before purchasing such a lighting device, it is important to make appropriate measurements of the space on which the tape will be fixed, and the distance to the countertop. This will allow you to choose the length and power of the device. It is advisable to wipe the place where the backlight is installed under the cabinets in the kitchen with alcohol and wait a short time for it to evaporate - this simple procedure will remove dirt and securely stick the tape in the future. If the contaminants are too strong, the structure can be strengthened with the help of connecting clamps or they can be installed on a special aluminum profile.
How to install LED strip in the kitchen: fixing
The backlight for the kitchen under the cabinets - LED strip - is mounted on a double-sided tape, while you need to control the reliability of attaching it to the tape and to the surface of the wall or cabinet. After installing the lighting, you must connect it to the power supply. The LED strip, taking into account the polarity, is connected to the power supply, and then it is connected to the network. It is important to remember that after the work done, no exposed wires should remain , and during connection to the unit it should not be energized. After final installation, the structure can be connected to the network. If all actions were performed correctly, and the polarity is not reversed, the tape will begin to glow.