WHY CHOOSE LEDS
Everyone knows about the advantages of LED lighting in comparison with both traditional incandescent lamps and energy-saving lamps. These are extremely high efficiency and durability. It is also important that the LEDs light up at full power instantly, without requiring time to warm up, their service life does not depend on the number of on-off operations. The only drawback is the relatively high cost. But the costs are justified: LED lighting in the kitchen will last for several decades, saving a lot of money due to low energy consumption.
If you already have a different type of kitchen lighting, do not rush to change it to a new one. Manufacturers produce LED lamps for almost any type of base and, most likely, you can only replace the lamp itself, without changing anything in the lamp or limiting yourself to minor alterations.
Recommended schemes for ergonomic kitchen lighting
WHERE TO PLACE THE BACKLIGHT
Proper lighting in the kitchen should be multi-zone. This is general lighting, light above the dining table and, of course, LED lighting for the kitchen work area.
The sophisticated consumer, technically savvy and familiar with the latest in interior design, is often not limited to just functional lighting.
Where should and can the lighting for the kitchen be located?
Working area - lighting for cabinets
The lighting level in the work area should be the highest
The hood above the stove has built-in lighting
If the light of the hood seems insufficient to you, the standard lamps can be replaced with brighter and more economical diode.
Adds convenience or simply decorates the interior with additional lighting in the following places:
Illumination of glass cabinets. If you don't have collectible tableware, put frosted glass in the door, it's no less beautiful
Soft light emanating from glazed cabinets visually lightens the kitchen set
Above overhead cabinets if the room has sufficient height. The light directed into the ceiling will make the room visually higher
Under the lower tier of cabinets. The light source should not be visible, so a thin and inconspicuous LED strip for the kitchen is best suited
The lighting in the kitchen above and below the cabinets, directed to the ceiling and floor by LEDs, is not intended for work, therefore it may not be white, but colored. The upper light can be bright, and the lower one should be dim, noticeably softer than in the working area
The LED strip in the kitchen can be installed under the countertop and directed along the facades of the lower cabinets, highlighting their contents
The tape is attached directly under the worktop. The tabletop itself should protrude relative to the furniture front at a distance not less than the width of the light element
You can also highlight the worktop itself from the inside, for this it must be transparent. They are made of glass, transparent polymer glued in several layers
An LED strip is installed along the contour of the translucent tabletop
Another option is the hidden LED backlighting of the glass table top. The light source is directed from the end. To maximize the effect, the table top is made of transparent quartz glass with matte details applied to the surface. It is they who will shine
Bar counter lighting, if any
Diode lighting for the kitchen in the bar area is directed, as a rule, downward
The luminous skin is the latest in fashion. The light does not fall on it from the outside, but comes from within
The glowing skin came to the kitchen interior from advertising lighting. This is a flat diode panel with an image printed on milk glass
Actually, LED lighting in the kitchen can be placed almost anywhere.Only financial considerations can limit your imagination.
WHAT ARE LED KITCHEN LIGHTS
With your own hands, LED backlighting can be made using ready-made lamps, or the lighting system can actually be assembled independently from individual elements. Let's list the main types of devices used:
Overhead linear luminaires. They are sold both individually and in sets, where several modules are connected in series into one block using a special adapter
DIY LED lighting for the kitchen working area from ready-made linear modules
Surface mounted spotlights
LED illumination of the working area, made of corner lamps
Luminaires, both linear and point, equipped with touch switches, appeared on the market. It is enough to touch their body in a certain place to turn on or off the light.
A touch switch is usually indicated by a solid blue LED
Mortise luminaires, linear and spot. Being very thin, they are flush with the bottom shelf of the cabinet
The flush-mounted LED kitchen lighting is completely hidden in the bottom shelf. It is convenient, but the installation of such a lamp requires certain qualifications.
LED strips for kitchen lighting are used no less widely than ready-made lighting fixtures. The reason for this popularity is a wide selection of brightness and color and, which is very convenient - the tape can be cut exactly to the required length. It costs less than ready-made lamps
The choice in terms of brightness and color is very diverse.
MOUNTING THE LED TAPE BY OWN HANDS
With ready-made lamps, everything is more or less clear, but how to make a backlight on a kitchen set with your own hands from an LED strip?
WHAT WILL BE CONSISTS OF TAPE-BASED LED BACKLIGHT
To assemble a workable luminaire, you will need the following materials:
- Diode tape of the required length.
- If necessary, an aluminum guide profile.
Kitchen lighting will look neater if you place it in a special aluminum profile. This solution facilitates the installation of lighting.
- 12 W power supply.
- Switch.
- Electric cable and plug or terminal block, depending on the type of connection. We recommend using a double-braided copper stranded cable with a cross section of at least 2x0.75 mm2.
- Heat shrink tubing for sealing joints.
LED strip is often sold complete with a power supply and control
HOW TO CHOOSE LED TAPE
The LED strip in the kitchen must be protected from water, this is one of the conditions for safe operation. The minimum level of moisture protection is IP44 (withstands the ingress of individual drops of water), better than IP65 (water jet). Voltage - 12 W, as the safest.
LED lighting for the kitchen working area should be bright, in the spectrum close to natural daylight. We recommend using a strip with three-crystal LEDs of the SMD type 50x50 of 30 diodes of 12 lumens each per meter of length. If you want to have a brighter light, especially when equipping the backlight with a dimmer, it is better to choose a product with 60 diodes. Color temperature ranging from 3300 to 500 K.
Additional lighting for the kitchen, as a rule, should not be bright. Often, the luminous flux of SMD 35x28 from 30 diodes of 5 lumens per meter is enough. Color does not play a significant practical role and more depends on the design idea.
Recommended Ribbon Specifications
HOW TO CHOOSE A POWER SUPPLY AND SWITCH FOR THE KITCHEN LED TAPE
In order for the LED lighting in the kitchen to work stably, we recommend choosing a power supply with a power reserve of about 25%. The power of the belt depends on the model, the technical characteristics can be obtained from the seller. So, SMD 50x50 out of 30 diodes "takes" 7.2 watts per meter of length.Thus, if the length is, for example, 4 m, the total power will be 28.8 watts. Accordingly, the power supply unit with a 25% margin is 36 W. Choose a compact model, it will be easier to hide.
As for the switch, the following options are possible:
- Simple push-button.
- Touch from touch.
- Infrared, reacts to a wave of the hand.
- Dimmer that regulates the luminous flux. Control can be mechanical, in the form of a rotating handle or touch.
- A control unit that makes the light blink or sparkle with multi-colored lights if a multi-color RGB tape is selected. Although, such effects are rarely used.
Diode lighting for the kitchen based on several strips should be carried out only in a parallel connection scheme
INSTALLING THE LED TAPE IN THE KITCHEN WITH YOUR OWN HANDS
LED backlighting must be assembled in accordance with the following rules:
- The tape cannot be cut to length arbitrarily, only in certain places. For this, special marks are applied on it.
- If it is necessary to use several tapes, they are connected to the power supply in parallel.
- The electrical cable coming from the power supply should be connected to the tape not with connectors, but with soldering, this is more reliable. The connection should be sealed by crimping with heat shrink tubing. You can also use duct tape, but this is more difficult and will not look so neat.
Step-by-step guidelines for soldering a tape-to-cable connection
A conventional rocker or pushbutton switch is installed before the power supply
Connection diagram with a conventional switch
Dimmer or RGB block - after the power supply.
LED strip in the kitchen: photo of the connection diagram with an adjustable dimmer luminous flux
The LED lighting for the kitchen is attached under the cabinets using double-sided adhesive tape. First, you just need to lightly fasten the tape in several places and, making sure that it is in the right place and lay flat, press firmly along the entire length
If you do not have sufficient knowledge and skill to work with electrics and electronics, entrust the installation of the backlight to specialists.
