Everything You Need to Know About Linear Light Strips.Are linear light strips bright enough? Do I have to install a suspended ceiling? How can I fix them if they break? These are common questions when considering linear light strips. You may have also heard that installing aluminum channel light strips on walls can lead to cracking issues. Despite these concerns, linear light strips are highly decorative, feature advanced design, and are versatile enough to be used as both aesthetic lighting and basic lighting—especially for spaces like kitchen island lighting. Their popularity continues to grow as they offer both style and functionality.
Although linear light strips may seem complex to install, they are much easier to manage than many people think. Today, Redfire will address common problems you may encounter with linear light strips and offer practical solutions to ensure your lighting experience is seamless and worry-free.
Question:1: Is the linear light strip bright enough?
Linear light strip is beautiful for all to see, many people’s biggest worry is that the linear light is not bright enough.
First of all, the conclusion: want to use linear strip light as a basic lighting, brightness is completely no problem.
There are more and more cutting-edge design cases only use linear strip light as the main lighting of the space. The point is: as long as you choose the right lamp, good design, linear strip light can carry the responsibility of the basic lighting of the space.
It is becoming more and more common to use linear strip as the main lighting in space design.
If you want to use strip light as auxiliary lighting, both decorative and basic brightness. This is the most common demand, it is recommended to choose 1cm wide, 6w/m style. This style of linear light has beautiful proportions and appropriate brightness.
It will not be very bright and is suitable for auxiliary lighting. Bedroom lighting, corridor lighting only with this type of strip, the brightness is not a problem; but the living room only with this type of strip, it will feel too dark, usually need to be used with downlights or floor lamps and other key lighting sources together.
Question 2: Must I do the ceiling? Installation difficulty?
If you want the light strip as the main lighting, the space is no longer with the downlight situation. It is recommended to choose 5cm wide, 20w/m style as the main lighting. redfire suggests: light strips as the main lighting on the lighting design layout requirements are relatively high, the need for different combinations of light strips, but also combined with the lifestyle of the occupants of the design, it is recommended to consult a professional redfire.
Even if you use this higher brightness of the strip as the main lighting, in order to ensure that the sofa, coffee table, desktop and other areas to do fine operation with sufficient illumination, it is recommended that you still need to match the specialized accent lighting light source, such as floor lamps, table lamps, chandeliers, etc., you can not use downlights.
Of course not, not necessarily all linear strip light need to do ceiling. Commonly several types of linear strip light installation, do not need to do ceiling type or quite a few:
① ceiling structure hiding lights (need to suspend the ceiling). Usually there is a slit on the edge of the ceiling, as a light strip installation and light outlet. This design maintains the minimalist flatness of the ceiling while maximizing the beauty of the linear light strip.
- Ceiling Structure Hidden Light
②Curtain box hidden light (without ceiling). As the name implies, the linear strip light will be hidden in the curtain box, many households come with a curtain box, eliminating the need for many troublesome installation of the strip light. The combination of light and curtain fabric, adding a warm and cozy quiet atmosphere. - Curtain box hidden lights
If you don’t have a curtain box, it’s not a problem to make a curtain box. Curtain boxes do not exist to hide lights, but it makes the top of the curtains more beautiful, to avoid light leakage at the same time, it is also an excellent place to hide lights, but also save the trouble of doing the ceiling, a multi-purpose. - Add curtain box is very simple, improve the value, avoid light leakage, but also hide the light
③ Localized ceiling to hide the light (need to be localized ceiling). Partial ceiling is one of the most traditional way to hide the light, do not need to do the whole ceiling, usually around the ceiling to do partial ceiling, can hide the light, also installed embedded spotlights. The advantage is that it can provide soft and not harsh basic lighting, the disadvantage is that it is easy to dust, and the design is not so simple and beautiful. - Partial Ceiling Hidden Lights
④ Aluminum groove light strip to hide the light (without ceiling). Aluminum groove strip is now more popular practice of light strips. If the ceiling has a suspended ceiling, it will be installed in the ceiling groove; if the ceiling does not have a suspended ceiling, it can be installed directly in the ceiling groove (without affecting structural safety). Advantage is that the installation location is not restricted, and the design is more indirect and beautiful, the disadvantage is that if you do not do the ceiling, slotting up relative trouble.
Aluminum groove light strip to hide the light, do not need to do the ceiling
In general, linear strip light does not have to rely on the ceiling to exist (specific installation methods can see @ egg brother past articles). There are still a lot of ways to play with linear light strips without making a suspended ceiling. Especially with aluminum channel light strip (aluminum channel light strip has many types, not to be repeated here), the installation limitations of the light strip, the installation difficulty is greatly reduced.
The need to do the ceiling situation, it looks more troublesome. But whether it is a partial ceiling or full ceiling, may have to take into account the hiding of the central air conditioning, embedded lamps and lanterns, hidden pipeline and other needs, by the way, hide a linear light strip is a very simple thing, and can make the ceiling role to play to the extreme.
Question 3: How to repair the linear strip when it breaks? How to hide the transformer?
Today’s mainstream light source are LED, higher stability, longer life, the light source itself is actually not easy to get out of the problem. However, the household linear strip light is usually low voltage strip, household high voltage to low voltage, it is necessary to use a transformer. The current transformer technology is also more mature, less prone to problems, but the stability is not as high as the durable LED light source. Usually linear strip light problems, mostly because of the transformer.
Therefore, lighting designers will recommend: the installation of the transformer should not be sealed in the ceiling, to be hidden in easy maintenance places, such as central air conditioning access ports, lights in the slot, the top of the cabinet, curtain boxes and so on.
Transformers for linear light strips are recommended to be hidden in places that are easy to maintain.
If the location of the installation of the light strip is not good to hide the transformer, you can use a soft wire to pull the power out to connect the transformer, the transformer will be hidden in a place that is easy to maintain can be.
Flexible wire pulling power to connect the transformer, the transformer will be hidden in an easy maintenance place
Some partners may be worried: Although the LED is rarely a problem, but who can not guarantee 100%, if the lamp beads out of the problem, how to do?
In fact, this problem is very good solution. Low-voltage linear strip can be cut and spliced at will, if the lamp bead is damaged, cut and spliced again can be (with a special light strip interface). Aluminum groove lampshade can be easily dismantled and installed manually, maintenance is not difficult.
Linear strip can be cut and spliced, aluminum groove lampshade is easy to remove and install.
Question 4: How to choose the color temperature of linear strip light?
The lighting of home space is mainly comfortable, the color of home linear strip light is usually between 3000k-5000k. Within the same space or the same use scene, it is recommended to choose the same color temperature. If you use 3000k spotlights, it is best to choose the same color temperature to match the linear strip.
Color temperature of different lights
Different space scenes have different color temperature requirements. For example, the living room space on the brightness of the light requirements are higher, it is recommended to choose 3500k-4000k color temperature; bedroom needs more warm atmosphere, suitable for 3000k-3500k brightness. And as a decorative line of public space, you can choose 4000k-5000k and other a little whiter color temperature, visually more stylish.
As a basic lighting or ambient lighting light strip can choose a little warmer 3000k-4000k, decorative light strip can choose a little whiter 4000k-5000k
Question 5: Aluminum groove light strip on the wall, the wall will be easy to crack?
Aluminum groove light strip is the more mainstream type of household light strip, the installation is relatively simple: after grooving the light strip pre-buried fixed, paint can be.
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