LED strip for the kitchen: which one to choose and how to install?

Properly organized light is the basis for a comfortable stay in the room. It is especially important to adhere to this condition in the kitchen, where good visibility is essential for cooking. One of the most productive ways of lighting for the kitchen is considered to be a light source assembled on the basis of LEDs - an LED strip.

This type of lighting is quite popular and it is no coincidence. LED fixtures are an excellent decoration element, they carry out a specific task and are endowed with a number of positive qualities.

• Long service life. Depending on the manufacturer and technical parameters, the device can work out from 25,000 to 50,000 hours. The case is made of aluminum and plastic, which contributes to damage resistance and impact resistance.
• Low power consumption. Using an LED strip will not harm your wallet. Lighting on the LED base is the most economical and in less than 12 months it justifies all the money spent on it.
• Operation of such lighting is completely safe due to low currents (with the exception of 220 V LED-strip, here are their own characteristics).
• An extensive selection of colors. Manufacturers offer a wide variety of colors. You can choose the best option for interior decoration: cold and warm light, monochrome and colorful products.
• Intense light output. This effect allows you to use the backlight as an alternative to the main lighting.
• Environmental Safety and the lack of special conditions for disposal.
• Comfortable lighting which instantly turns on, gives a measured light without flickering. Ordinary light bulbs create a blinking inconspicuous to the eye, which overtaxes vision.

Today, manufacturers offer several types of LED strips. The range of use of these durable, environmentally friendly, economical and reliable devices is quite extensive. They are practiced for decorating and highlighting shop windows, in the interior decoration of catering establishments, places of entertainment and recreation, in street advertising, for lighting niches and ceilings, aquariums, car interiors, the space inside wardrobes, kitchen work areas and so on.

To make installation of LED strips easier, they are produced with a self-adhesive strip fixed to the back, which makes it possible to effortlessly install these devices anywhere. LED tapes are systematized according to a number of basic signs and characteristics, which you should familiarize yourself with in order to choose the ideal option for you.

The price of these lighting devices substantially depends on this parameter. Diode tapes are common SMD 3528 and 5050. SMD stands for Surface Mounted Device and means the outdoor LED mounting method commonly used in the technique. The numbers after the letters indicate the size of the diode in an integer and a tenth of a millimeter (for example, "5050" should be understood as 5.0x5.0, and "3528" - 3.5x2.8 mm).

An LED size of 5x5 millimeters has 3 separate crystals, and SMD 3528 - only one. This determines the power of the glow: LED strip 5050 brighter (approximately 2.5-3 times) modifications size 3.5x2.8 mm. Therefore, the more powerful the device, the higher its price.

Everyone probably came across a combination of words LED strip RGB. This English abbreviation stands for Red, Green, Blue (red, blue, green) and represents a method of color coding for its reconstruction based on the principles of perception by the retina of the human eye. By mixing in various proportions and combinations of these 3 key colors you can get different tones.

An RGB tape differs from an ordinary one in that it contains red, green and blue crystals of small sizes, which, if controlled by a controller, can produce any color. White light is generated by the fusion of all 3 of the above colors or it can be extracted from a blue diode coated with a phosphor, depending on the thickness of which it can become warm, cold or neutral (daytime). These shades are also formed by the temperature of the LEDs used.

The next indicator, which greatly affects the price of the device, is the number of diodes per 1 m. The higher this value, the more saturated and measured the device illuminates. Tapes with a saturation of 30, 60, 120 LEDs per 1 m are in greatest demand.

The decision which one is best to buy depends on your needs. For additional lighting, you can use devices with a frequency of 30-60, for the main - 60-120 LEDs per meter.

Since these devices are used not only in the interior of the premises, but also for decoration and lighting of buildings, shopping centers, and outdoor advertising, some of them have special protection against the influence of dampness. It can vary in class, marked according to international standards. For instance, The LED device with the IP 68 designation is the most waterproof, it can be used to highlight pools, freeze in ice, put in water, while observing fire safety standards.

The LED strip with the designation IP 20 can be used in rooms that do not require additional moisture protection, in particular, for highlighting a two-level ceiling, shelves, PC monitor, cabinet, niche. A fixture of IP 65 class (medium degree of protection) can be used in the kitchen working area, car interior, bathroom, as well as sometimes in street lighting.

Moisture-proof tapes are usually treated with a layer of silicone or clad in shells of this material. Without any protection of the LED strip, it makes sense to operate where moisture will definitely not get on them.

Another significant indicator in the specification of these devices is the power transmitted in watts. It depends directly on the size of the diodes and on their number per linear meter of tape. For example, the consumption of SMD 3528 models, which contain 60 LEDs per 1 m, is 4.8 watts.

Having information about the power and length of a particular tape, you will accurately select the right source of electrical energy for it. The electrical voltage shown in volts is unified for LED strips. The market is dominated by designs designed for a voltage of 12, 24 V (the most common), as well as modifications to 36, 48 V.

Given all of the above, it will not be a special problem for you to choose a specific LED strip.

Having an idea of ​​the main areas of use and characteristics, you can start choosing the right product. Here are some tips on how to choose an LED strip for highlighting.

• Based on your needs. For the apartment you need some characteristics, for the street is completely different. Be sure to check the points regarding the connection to the mains and the degree of dust and moisture protection of the device.
• Choose a suitable color or their combination. With this you can help designers or special online resources for construction and design. If you already have a project, proceed from its conditions. If you put the backlight in the apartment, make sure that it does not tire and does not get on your nerves.
• Make the required measurements. The implementation of calculations and planning will make it possible to calculate the amount of material and not to spend extra money.
• Follow the recommendations of sellers or professional builders. Inexpensive copies may not be of the best quality, which threatens them with overheating and failure.

The LED strip for the kitchen, distributed in the area of ​​the working area, is an excellent solution for rooms whose design is implemented in both classic and modern styles.

For the first, you can choose options that emit a warm glow. For a modern interior, a tape with a cold light would be a good option. Excellent operational properties coupled with aesthetics have made these devices in demand for the arrangement of kitchen lighting.

Through them you can:

• highlight lockers and niches;
• highlight the sink, kitchen apron and working area;
• to illuminate paintings and other decorative design elements;
• It is interesting to highlight stretch or multi-level ceilings;
• produce lighting cabinets and drawers inside;
• create the impression of furniture hanging in the air by placing a ribbon lighting under the kitchen;
• to reproduce the style and peculiar atmosphere of a real bar, profitably beating the place of the bar stand with the help of LED-tape.

If you want to decorate the edge of the countertop with a ribbon, you will need a special aluminum profile that can reliably hide it from the eyes and bring elegance and originality to the surrounding space.

When illuminating the apron, the tape is usually fixed under the kitchen cabinets, but can also be placed in other areas. Correctly placed LEDs give "shadowless" lighting, which is convenient when working.

For the dining and cooking areas, it’s best to choose a warm white color, since it will not change the natural color of the food. An interesting decorative effect can be created if you connect several ribbons.

Consider the installation issue LED strip under the cabinets of the kitchen set.

1. Determine the place where you hide the power supply (PSU), the length of the cable used depends on this. You can find a place near the outlet, you can connect to the connection point of the cooker hood. Everything depends on the "relief" of your kitchen.
2. Measure the surface of the intended installation.
3. Cut the right amount of LED strip. It is necessary to cut strictly according to the marks! By cutting the tape elsewhere, you can ruin it.
4. 2 connectors are put to the contacts or 2 wires are soldered.
5. Then produce insulation (tube or tape).
6. Wires are connected in parallel with polarity - minus with minus, plus with plus. The resulting connections are connected to the output of the PSU.
7. The base of the LED tape is self-adhesive, therefore, having previously cleaned and degreased the surface, it is simply glued.
8. Do not turn on the backlight immediately after installation, let the glue cool and seize.

One of the most inconvenient stages of installing the backlight with an LED strip is the need to install a separate switch for it. As a rule, this question is relevant for highlighting the working area in the kitchen.

To solve this problem, portable, infrared or touch (non-contact) switches are now available., which have the width of the tape itself and perfectly fit the aluminum profile.

In this case, the illumination of the workspace is applied, false LED strips are placed along the edge of the bottom of the wall cabinets, effectively reflecting in an apron of glass.

This option is especially involved dining area lights.

Along with the illumination of the working area, this design is involved illumination of floor cabinets.

For ease of use backlight inside the box.

See how to make LED lights in the kitchen with your own hands in the next video.