One of the main components of a beautiful and spectacular design of anything is correct lighting, especially when it comes to furniture. Even the most plain cabinet can turn into a decoration of the interior. Moreover, in addition to the aesthetic component, the backlight performs a useful function - it illuminates the interior space of the cabinet and allows you to visually distinguish it. In this case, the use of ordinary incandescent lamps or halogen lamps is not a very good idea, since during prolonged work they heat up to a temperature of 60 C. This can ruin the appearance of clothing from thin and delicate fabric, so it is better to give preference to LED backlighting the cabinet. It is not difficult to make it with your own hands, and in today's article we will tell you in detail about this.
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Advantages of LED lighting
LEDs are specific conductors that produce light in the process of electricity. The chemical composition of the LEDs may differ, and the brightness of the light flux radiated by them directly depends on this. Installation of the cabinet backlight by LED tape is not always carried out directly, due to the fact that the tape can crack or overheat. In this case, the voltage stabilizer should certainly be used.
LED tape is a kind of bar of flexible material, one side of which is able to stick to the surface of the base (cabinet, mirror, ceiling, floor, etc.). On the second side are LEDs with resistors. On any tape there are 5 cm segments, on which there are 3 LEDs and a special marking is drawn, showing where you can make incisions. All LEDs are sequentially connected by a chain.
Advantages of LED cabinet lighting:
- The tape is resistant to minor mechanical influences, and therefore it can be not afraid to be caught by accident with clothes, hand or hanger.
- Durability - high -quality LED tape with the correct operation and the presence of voltage stabilizer can operate for more than 10 years in a mode of 15 hours per day.
- A variety of color lighting palette - LEDs can burn white, yellow, red, green, blue, purple and other colors. You can choose the backlight for any interior. Also on sale there are infrared and ultraviolet LEDs that will look great in modern high-tech interiors.
- Bright lighting.
- LEDs do not need time to warm up - they immediately begin to work at full strength.
- Low cost - even the highest quality LED products are available in price.
- You can use LED ribbons with different radiation angles.
- This is an environmentally friendly product.
- The tape is absolutely safe, so it can be installed even in children's cabinets.
- LED tape is capable of operating at any temperature in the room (within reasonable limits).
Useful advice: if you plan to use RGB tape for backlighting the cabinet, keep in mind that it has 4 outputs: the bulk, for red, blue and green colors.
How to choose a LED tape
In most cases, SMD lists are selected for backlighting, which differ in the number of crystals (from 1 to 4 pcs.), In size (from 1.06x0.8 mm to 5x5 mm) and in the nature of the glow (monochrome or colored). Before purchasing the tape, decide on the type of lighting. So, for LED backlighting for the kitchen under cabinets, it is best to choose SMD 50x50 with three crystals, since such a tape gives a bright and uniform light flow. Such a backlight under the bottom of the cabinets looks very beautiful, if a glossy coating is laid on the kitchen floor - light is reflected from the surface and creates the effect of “soaring” furniture.
If you want to make backlight more decorative than functional, then use tape with single -crib LEDs SMD 35x28.
Depending on the frequency of placement of LED elements on the tape, there are the following varieties:
- 30 pcs. 1 m linear;
- 60 pcs. 1 m;
- 120 pcs. 1 m;
- 240 pcs. 1 m.
Accordingly, the more LEDs are dispersed into 1 m of tape, the higher the cost of the product. Also, the power consumption and the degree of brightness of the light flow depends on this.
Also, tapes are classified according to the ability to withstand humidity. IP20 markings are not able to withstand high humidity, so it is better not to use them for the kitchen. The IP65 tape is characterized by the average level of moisture protection and is suitable for kitchen cabinets. But the IP68 marking means that the tape is not at all susceptible to moisture, so it can be used to illuminate aquariums, cabinets in the bathroom, pools, etc.
power unit
You should choose a power supply only after you have decided on the power and characteristics of the LED tape. Blocks are of different sizes and capacities. It is necessary to calculate the optimal option so that the forces of the transformer will be taken away on the full operation of the tape, but it is important that it is not too powerful.
To calculate the appropriate power of the power supply, we take as an example of a 5 m long tape with a marking SMD 5050 12 watts. Multiply the power of the 12 W tape by its length of 5 m - it turns out 60 watts (total power). But if you buy a 60 watts of the power supply, this will not be enough, so you should always consider a small stock. Multiply the total power of the tape by the coefficient of 1.25 and will turn out 75 watts. It is such a transformer in this case that is needed.
Installation of LED backlight
Before making LED lighting wardrobe, kitchen furniture or any other, certain preparatory work should be carried out. Even experienced craftsmen do not work “on the eye”. Think in what place can you place the LED tape so that it gives as effective lighting as possible, but does not interfere with using the cabinet? Where you plan to place the switch, because it should be in a very convenient place, but preferably hidden from the eyes, so as not to violate the integrity of the cabinet design. Or maybe the backlight will turn on automatically when opening the door, as in the refrigerator? And, most importantly - how do you plan to bring the feed for the tape to the common network 220 V?
Useful advice: it is most convenient to place LED tape on the back of the shelves, that is, upstairs. This is the safest place that is rarely subjected to mechanical loads and does not create inconvenience at all. At the same time, LEDs give good lighting of the entire shelf.
The switch can also be hung under a shelf or at all, hidden between the wall of the room and the end of the cabinet. If you like automatic backlight, you can purchase a set of LEDs equipped with movement sensors - when opening the cabinet, the light will light up on your own.
As for connecting the tape to 220 V, here you need to know the basics of electricians. Since the LED strip operates under a voltage of 12 V, it requires connection to the transformer power supply. It, in turn, is connected to the outlet, but if desired, you can lay a separate wiring cable for lighting the cabinet shelves. If you decide to do this, then the wiring should be open and go along the wall to the closet. To aesthetically disguise the cable, you can use the channel in tone with the wall decoration.
Only when you solve all of the above issues, you can draw a detailed scaled lighting scheme, calculate the required amount of materials and go to the store for them.
How to make a backlight in a closet with your own hands:
- Measure the required amount of LED tape and cut it by special marking. Do not mount the lighting for all shelves or the perimeter of the cabinet with a whole piece of tape. In the process of work, it will consume more power and will become unusable faster. Small segments last much longer.
- In the intended place, fix the plastic corner, putting it on the super -strength universal glue or liquid nails. The dimensions of the corners are different, but it is better to use the minimum, for example, 10x10 mm. This is enough to hide and protect the LED tape. Plus, plastic corners are represented in a wide color assortment, so you can choose the option with tone with the shelves of the cabinet.
- Spend an electric cable into the cabinet. To do this, make a hole in the most inconspicuous section of the case with a special nozzle-goon on the drill. If the wall of the cabinet is made of chipboard, then so that the hole is even and neat, first drill a crown to a depth of 5 mm, and then complete the work from the reverse side.
- How to make a backlight in a closet for all shelves? Just in the farthest corner of each of them, drill holes for the wire.
- Pull the wire through the holes made in the shelves and hide it into a pre-prepared cable channel. Plastic cable channels in the closet are best attached with liquid nails.
- Glue the LED tape to the corner on the back.
- Connect the tape to the power supply.
- Attach the switches in pre -thought -out places, connect them and conduct a test test.
Here, in fact, is all wisdom. As you can see, it is not difficult to make the backlight of the cabinet doors, shelves and cases. To do this, it is not even necessary to be able to use complex tools and have professional knowledge of an electrician.
The future appearance of the furniture directly depends on the location of the LED tape. So, if the cabinet shelf is made of glass, glue the tape directly to the ends. When the LEDs turn on, they will brightly illuminate the entire surface of the shelves and effectively separate them in space.
LEDs in combination with mirrors look very original. Reflected in them, they not only create a visual illusion, then also provide brighter lighting. You can save well on this - put a tape with a rare arrangement of LEDs and a small number of crystals, and the mirror will automatically “double” the result.
Cabinets with LED lighting look very stylish and accurately, even if they take up a lot of space in a small room. Using light receptions, you can divert attention from a modest quadrature and focus on interior items. By the way, mirrors can again help in this - LEDs can make the effect of “infinity”, visually expanding the space.
Bright cabinets: photo
We tried to paint in all details how to connect the backlight to the cabinet, and now the matter is small - to figure out where to adapt it. Anyone can afford such beauty, especially since there is very little LED tape. Everything is limited only to your own imagination, and in order to “stir it up” a little, we prepared a small photo selection of stylish solutions for furniture.
