DIY suspended ceiling repair and decoration with LEDs

In detail: repair and decoration of a false ceiling with LEDs with your own hands from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.

Already 3 years have passed since the commissioning of the newly built house. At first I did a simple DIY repair. Now the house has sat down, the walls have warmed up and some defects have appeared. Two large cracks 6 meters long appeared on the ceiling at the joints of the slabs along the entire room.

The wife began to demand repairs, but there are many modern and interesting finishing options and she cannot decide. I decided to make the ceiling lighting with an LED strip with my own hands.

I read about editing on other sites, but there is useless dregs written there, because they are written by authors who do not understand this and have never done it. You still have to explain the subtleties and advantages to your wife, so I decided to do it in writing, you will also be interested.
I recommend reading it first:
1.preparation for installation
2.How to choose a 12V power supply
3.connecting the LED strip to 220V according to the scheme

Consider the main popular types for the home:

tension;
suspended plasterboard, rack, cassette;
suspended-tension, hybrid of plasterboard and tension;
single-level and two-level.

Tensioner - a modern and practical look, it is quickly installed. A big plus is the glossy surface and transparency of the film, the gloss reflects the luminous flux better.

The use of LED strip to illuminate the ceiling from the inside looks trumpy. If you have a fantasy, then for example you can do:

starry sky, looks gorgeous at night;
the logo of your sports team or car;
even a simple drawing with palm trees and the sea.

Video (click to play).

Of all the types, I chose a tension one, with a preliminary fastening of sound insulation under the film.

Plasterboard and suspended-tension will be quite optimal for a single-level project. In my apartment, the neighbors from above are perfectly audible, especially since they have 2 small children, they can knock on the floor at 3 in the morning, we have it like a drum. Soundproof mats can be placed under the drywall, which cannot be done on a stretch board, without gluing.

Two-level ceilings look interesting from the design side, but they have a much higher complexity of execution and a large amount of plasterwork. I can afford them without much damage, my height is 280 cm, which is higher than the usual 250 cm. They look beautiful, but from the point of view of practicality, there will simply be additional costs. After a couple of weeks, you will no longer be paying attention to him. This amount I can spend more profitably than on useless design decoration.

Functions that it can perform when placed on a ceiling or top of walls.

decorative white;
decorative one-color or color RGB;
basic lighting;
auxiliary, complementary to the main one, such as low beam in a car;

I wanted a combined type. Good and beautiful chandeliers are expensive, and they no longer fit into modern design, they look outdated. Classic, these are built-in lamps and light around the perimeter of the room.

Solid fill inside the second level, photo of the room at home

In order not to lay a powerful diode tape and an expensive aluminum profile around the perimeter, I think to place Leda of medium power to perform the function of not bright lighting. For bright light in the center of the room, install a recessed ceiling LED panel under Armstrong, which, with dimensions of 60 by 60 cm, shines at 3600 lm., Has a thickness of only 1 cm.For me, the cost of such a led panel will be about 1000 rubles.

Why exactly a panel? - in fact, I do not need bright illumination of every corner, besides, my walls are light colored, the light will be reflected. It will shine as efficiently as possible only downward; there will be a lot of light on the floor for children to play.

For backlighting, it is better to use 3528 or 5050 LED strip, which does not require an aluminum profile for cooling. Its power should not exceed 10 W / m.

For white, the optimal density on SMD 5050 will be 60 diodes per meter. The actual power may differ in one direction or another; you can find out it only by measuring the current consumption. 5050 LEDs can be inexpensive at 13 Lm, and increased brightness at 19 Lm, labeled as LUX (High class) luxury. It already has a consumption of 14-15 watts.
The average brightness with 13Lm diodes will be 800 Lm / m. which corresponds to a 60-75W incandescent lamp. With 19lm led diodes. brightness at 1 m. 1150 lm., This is the equivalent of a conventional 90W light bulb.

Hybrid views, RGB + normal

Sometimes, in the process of renovating an apartment, very interesting ideas come to mind on how to decorate the ceiling. Some of them are related to lighting. Often, designers or even the owners of living quarters themselves decide that the ceiling, illuminated around the perimeter, would look very attractive. And to realize this idea, you need an LED strip.

Ceiling lighting with LEDs is now one of the most frequently used design solutions. If you decide to transform the rooms in your home thoroughly, then she will help you do it with the greatest effect.

On a note! The first experiments with LED lighting began in the not so distant 70s of the twentieth century - it was then that the LEDs themselves appeared on the market. But at that time they were not yet of such a quality that would allow them to be used in living quarters for the purpose of organizing lighting, as they irritated the eyes.

Stretch ceiling with LED lighting

Previously, only sconces were used as additional lighting or illumination in rooms, later spotlights appeared. However, it is the LEDs that have established themselves as the most successful option for installing hidden backlighting - after all, you don't always want the light sources to be in plain sight. In addition, LEDs allow you to implement extremely interesting lighting options, and not only additional, but also the main one.

Illumination of a multi-level ceiling

Why is LED ceiling lighting so good?

It allows you to realize the idea of hidden backlighting - a light source, that is, an LED strip, is laid so that it is invisible to a person, but at the same time it gives a lot of light and creates a luminous aura in the room.
It is easy to mount such a backlight yourself.
In certain cases, LED backlighting can act as the main light source.
This is an opportunity to bring to life the wildest fantasies and design decisions regarding the play of light and color.
Backlighting can be not only white or yellow - LED strips are available in various color variations.
In addition to LEDs, you can also use optical fiber - an excellent "conductor" of light, which significantly expands the possibilities of organizing the backlight.
LEDs consume little power during operation, which means they are economical.
Due to the illumination, you can clearly delineate the zones in the room, if necessary.
Finally, the backlight can serve its usual decorative role.

Read also: DIY ice lamp panel repair

Illuminated multilevel ceiling

LED ceiling lighting also has its drawbacks. There are not many of them, but they are worth knowing about if you plan to install it in your apartment.

The use of colored backlighting is not always a plus. Sometimes this kind of lighting can irritate the eyes.Therefore, it will be great if during installation you provide for the possibility of changing the backlight colors.
LEDs are not cheap, but they are cheaper to maintain due to low power consumption.

LED Ceiling Light

The service life of the LED is quite long. Some manufacturers claim that this small light bulb can last for about 100,000 hours. But you shouldn't trust this figure too much. The fact is that over time, the LED strip begins to shine less brightly. The service life of this lighting element is the period from the beginning of its commissioning until the moment when its luminous flux decreases by 30%.

Diagram of the structure of the LED strip

On a note! If you use LED lighting for no more than 6 hours a day, then the tape will work properly for about 10,000 hours. That is, the human eye will notice a decrease in the brightness of the glow not earlier than after 4 years of such a mode of operation of the LED strip.

There are several types of lighting that can be equipped indoors.

Table. Types of lighting for the ceiling.

Ceiling lighting with LED strip is a very popular way to create unusual interiors in modern homes. An additional popularity of this technique is given by the fact that all installation work can be done by hand, without seeking help from specialists in the field of electrical engineering.

The active development of innovative technologies has allowed designers to develop a number of new techniques that make it possible to radically change the visual perception of a variety of living spaces. By installing a modern lighting system using diode strips, you can literally transform any apartment or house, make your home truly original and comfortable.

By and large, they tried to illuminate the ceiling with LED strip already in the 1970s. It was then that the first diodes began to appear on the market. But in those years, new lighting did not become widespread due to the fact that it had a spectrum that was not the most pleasant for the human eye (too sharp) and a small color range. These problems have now been resolved. Diodes with a soft spectrum and with any color shades are on sale. And most importantly, nowadays, almost any home craftsman can do amateur lighting design.

Diode lighting in the apartment

It is enough to purchase a suitable kit for creativity, which includes special controllers, power supplies and diode strips directly, and equip your home with your own hands in the desired light version. LEDs allow you to decorate any ceiling surface. The most difficult thing is to do the lighting design of a suspended and stretch ceiling with your own hands. But with the right approach to business, this problem becomes solvable. And without wasting time and effort.

Ceiling lighting using LED strip is performed in different ways:

Point. In this case, the lighting fixtures are positioned so that they cast light directly downward. The most famous version of LED spot lighting is the so-called starry sky.
Directional. The devices are placed in a special way on the slopes. Due to this, they shine along the ceiling surface.
Scattered (contour). With this scheme, the diodes form a continuous strip of light on the ceiling (they are directed upwards, not downwards).
Curly. In this case, the lighting devices are installed in small ceiling shades, which makes it possible to create a special lighting configuration.

With your own hands, you can make all the above schemes for any ceiling (stretch or the most common). But first you need to decide on the characteristics of the diodes that you plan to use.

The first characteristic to look out for is the color of the LEDs for the ceiling. It can be different. Moreover, you can decorate the ceiling with both a single-color LED strip, and a multi-color one.The glow control of products with several colors is carried out remotely. In residential premises, as a rule, backlighting from emitters of different shades is used. And monochrome products are usually installed in public institutions, in exhibition and trading halls, where the total length of lighting is high. For the price, by the way, ribbons with one and several colors are no different. They cost about the same.

The next important parameter is the density of diodes on one tape. There can be 120, 60 or 30 of them for each meter of the product. If a directional ceiling lighting is installed, the pros advise purchasing tapes with a density of 120 or 60. But do-it-yourself contour lighting is best done using products with 30 (in large rooms - with 60) emitters. Ideally, for a stretch ceiling, it is advisable to use two tapes with different densities at once.... In this case, it is necessary to install products on the slopes on 60 (30) emitters, and on the shelves - 120 (60). But this option is possible only when the niches for mounting diodes are relatively large.

Next, we determine the power of the LED strip. Such products are marked with SMD letters. After them there are numbers, they indicate the power. For example, if in front of you there are two products marked SMD 6035 and SMD 3028, know that the first tape will be more powerful. Also, the power of a particular emitter is easy to find in its passport. In practice, directional illumination is most often performed with ribbons with a luminescence intensity of 5 W / m, contour illumination - 8 W / m. If you put several products at once on slopes and on a shelf, choose emitters for 5–7 and 7–17 W / m, respectively.

The controller and power supply for the LED strip must be selected taking into account the power of the lighting product. It can operate from 24, 12 or 5 V. Both the controller and the power supply must be designed for the same indicators.. In cases where the ceiling lighting can get wet (negligent neighbors from above, constant high humidity in the room), it is advisable to install tapes with IP letters in the marking. This type of lighting technology has a special waterproofing coating based on silicone. It perfectly protects lighting fixtures from moisture.

An LED strip for a regular or stretch ceiling is installed on a frame. It is made from gypsum plasterboard (gypsum plasterboard), making a kind of cornice (shelf, niche). The frame can be located along the perimeter of the ceiling or hide between the second and first levels of the surface of plasterboard sheets. It is not difficult to make the indicated shelf with your own hands.

Preparing the ceiling frame for lamp installation

Its installation is done like this:

Step back from the ceiling slabs by about 10 cm and put the first level of plasterboard sheets on the skeleton of a galvanized metal profile.
Connect the next part of it to the mounted structure (second level). Here it is imperative to leave enough space between the ceiling and wall surfaces so that the light from the diodes can easily pass into the room.
Sheathe the second level of the frame with sheets of drywall, forming a shelf for mounting the LED strip.
Take out the wires for connecting the lighting to the mounting groove and connect them (temporarily) to the gypsum board. For these purposes, use regular masking tape or tape.

Now you need to make the ceiling putty, complete its final finish, and then proceed with the installation of modern LED lighting. On stretch ceilings, special skirting boards, moldings and polyurethane cornices are usually mounted. And on them LED emitters are already being installed. Due to the fact that these polyurethane elements have various types of images, stucco moldings and original finishes, it is easy to create a unique decor with your own hands.And supplement it with original diode lighting technology.

LED strip is usually sold in bobbins of five meters in length. If a ceiling contour lighting is made, several such coils are connected into one whole. It is not recommended to connect more than three bobbins in series. In cases where the perimeter of the room where the diode tapes are being installed is more than 15 meters, several sections should be connected in parallel.

Installing LED strip

When connecting LED strips with your own hands, you must very carefully monitor their polarity. Incorrect connection will damage all products when they are turned on.

The tapes are attached to the frame without the slightest problem. There is adhesive tape on the back of them. It is covered with plastic wrap. You just need to carefully remove this cover and mount the product on the ceiling. It is undesirable to glue the LEDs directly on the gypsum board. Over time, they can move away from the drywall. It will be optimal to select corners made of polyvinyl chloride for slopes and cornices (if the diodes are installed on a stretch ceiling - made of polyurethane) and fix them with universal screws. And then glue the tape to these additional details.

After placing and connecting LED strips to the wires removed from the frame, they must be connected to the power supply unit (PSU) and (if multi-colored products are used) to the controller. If your lighting system is more than 50 watts, install multiple low wattage power supplies. Such devices are small in size. They are easy to disguise in the plasterboard shelves on the ceiling. If you use 70 W blocks, they can protrude from the frame and thereby spoil the appearance of the ceiling surface.

The very process of connecting tapes to a power supply unit with your own hands is elementary. You just need to correctly connect the appropriate wires and terminals. When this is done, turn on the backlight and test it. If everything is working fine, praise yourself for creating unusual lighting decor in your home with minimal financial costs.A ceiling with perimeter lighting is a very original solution that looks much more attractive than just a ceiling without lighting. This design solution is simple and quite inexpensive. In addition, such illumination can be made by yourself, with your own hands, without resorting to the help of a hired team, which, by the way, is quite expensive.LEDs were not adopted by chance, since LED lighting is not just lamps, but a very thoughtful design solution, which, together with the main lighting, creates a harmonious light ensemble.In our time of incessant crises, budget repairs have become fashionable, which, by the way, are even more spectacular than expensive ones, at incomparably lower costs.Practically anyone can arrange such a simple design as LED backlighting.Perhaps it is worth considering one of the most common methods, where the LED strip is placed in a drywall box.Its advantages:

Since the box is placed in the second level, it seems that the light is coming from nowhere;

The light does not hurt the eyes, and it flows evenly around the entire perimeter of the ceiling.

Installation of such a box, of course, requires some cost and effort in terms of installation. However, there are much simpler methods.Alternatively, an LED strip is used, which is placed in a wide foam ceiling plinth, made with imitation of hand-made stucco molding. The skirting board is attached to the wall along its lower edge.A gap of about 5-7 cm is left between the ceiling and the plinth, and an LED strip is hidden in the resulting pocket.Such a ceiling with LED strip is also widely used.Advantages:

Much cheaper than a drywall box;

Much easier to install.

Thanks to these two qualities, the installation of the illuminated ceiling is greatly simplified.

There are not so many materials for a LED backlight device, and the materials themselves are inexpensive.

Conductive tape with LEDs. Tapes are waterproof (white) and RGB (multi-colored). The waterproof tapes are housed in a white silicone tube. They are more expensive, but, at the same time, have reliable isolation from possible leaks from the upper floors.
Step-down transformer to which the diode tape is connected. It is built into the gap between the switch and the backlight.

The LED strip is switched on with a separate switch.

It is not recommended to arrange the backlight together with the main light, where switching on is carried out by one switch.

The backlight will lose all the showiness interrupted by the main lighting.

It has already been mentioned that there are tapes that produce multi-colored (RGB) backlighting. In this case, in addition to the transformer, there is a need for a controller in order to be able to control the brightness. Light switching is carried out by the program.

Tapes are different, both in power and in the frequency of placement of LEDs on them. The most common tapes with a density of 30, 60 and 120 LEDs per meter. The higher the density, the greater the brightness.

You can, of course, rummage through the Internet for a long time, killing your time and doubting the correctness of your actions, or you can simply make the correct calculation in order to understand the benefits of this event.

LED strips are a very reliable source of lighting, lamps are changed very rarely - strips are very reliable and durable.

In order to arrange everything correctly, you will need the simplest knowledge, plus simple actions.

We need accurate measurements of the perimeter of your room;
The resulting result is multiplied by the power of one running meter of the LED strip;
In order not to doubt the power, you need to consult with the seller before buying;
Based on these data, you need to choose a power supply and a controller.

If the ceiling is multi-level, then the LED lighting is perfectly combined with a beautiful chandelier. By the way, highlighting can be performed not with a single tape, but with its fragments.

In order for the backlight to turn out without flaws and shortcomings, some rules should be taken into account.

The tape is sold in 5-meter spools and, if necessary, it is cut and soldered to the desired size;
The tape is carefully cut only according to the markings;
Pieces of tape are soldered according to the scheme;
In order to fix the LED strip, use double-sided tape, or self-adhesive tape. Before gluing, the surfaces are degreased, the protective layer is removed, and the tape itself is pressed against the required area.

The installation of the tape on the skirting board is different from the installation of the tape on the wall. Both options are used by the consumer.

The skirting board is not glued directly to the ceiling, but five centimeters lower and ten centimeters lower if glued to the skirting board.

It happens that the power supply is sold without a power cord. Then you need to buy a cord.

How to solder correctly:

Plus or minus when the tape is the same color;
If the tape is colored (RGB), then the V +, R, G and B pins should be soldered.

After the tape is the correct size, you need to connect the transformer and controller.

Do not allow tape overheating when soldering! You cannot solder more than three coils in series - the tracks, in this case, do not withstand the load.

At all stages of work, the main principle is accuracy, care and thoroughness. The bending radius is at least 2 cm. The tracks must not be bent more than 90 °.

Finally, the following should be noted. There is no need to talk about the originality of the ceiling with LED lighting, since it is already quite obvious.In addition, one of the advantages of such a ceiling is the fact that the installation of the backlight is not something prohibitively complicated, requiring the intervention of narrow specialists with special training - you can easily do it yourself. I am also glad that such illumination can be arranged both on a plasterboard ceiling and on a stretch ceiling. In a word, after studying articles on this topic, looking at photo and video materials, properly thinking about how it all will look, purchase the necessary materials, and, rolling up your sleeves, get down to business.In this article I want to talk about how ceiling lighting can be organized. The choice of lighting equipment, its installation and arrangement of a niche for hidden lighting will be affected. Let's get started!Ceiling with perimeter lighting hidden above the baguette.In addition to purely aesthetic functions, it:

Increases the apparent height of the ceiling. Lighting is one of the main tools of the designer: by brightly illuminating one surface against the background of darker adjacent ones, we will make it appear more distant from the viewer;

The illuminated ceiling looks higher.

Provides diffused soft lighting for the room. It is useful, for example, in the living room when watching a movie, or in the bedroom before going to bed.

Dim, diffused light will not prevent you from watching a movie or using your computer.Most often, hidden lighting is mounted in a niche of a plasterboard suspended ceiling. A niche can surround a room around the perimeter; decorative lighting is often located on separate fragments of multi-level ceilings.The photo highlighted the niche of the plasterboard suspended ceiling.A simpler and cheaper option to implement is a backlit ceiling plinth. A baguette or wide molding is glued to the wall indented from the ceiling surface by a few centimeters; the light source is located on its horizontal shelf.Budget solution: the light source is hidden by the skirting board.In all respects, the LED strip is in the lead. Judge for yourself:

Neon illumination consists of several dozen tubular lamps, each of which is supplied with its own EPU. The resulting massive structure can only be installed in a sufficiently strong niche: not a single skirting board for hidden ceiling lighting can withstand the weight of the lamps;

Furniture lamps used for mounting hidden lighting.

The price of a meter of LED strip starts at 100 rubles. The cost of one lamp on a tubular lamp with EPU is at least 350 - 400 rubles;

The diode tape will be solid, without gaps. Luminaires connected in one chain will be separated by intervals of several centimeters.

The tape is sold in rolls with a length of 5 meters.Unconditionally low voltage. There are two reasons:

The LEDs on the tape are assembled into clusters, including several series-connected light sources with a strapping of a couple of resistors. The cluster size of a tape with a supply voltage of 12 volts - 3 LEDs. In a high-voltage tape - 60 (which corresponds to a tape length of 1 meter).
Failure any an element of one cluster means that it goes out completely;

Read also: DIY electric forklift repair

Low voltage tape cluster size.You will not even notice the loss of three LEDs, but the extinguished meter section of the tape will mean that it will have to be changed entirely.

Thanks to the same feature, low-voltage tape can be cut in three-LED increments, and high-voltage tape in one-meter increments, which greatly complicates its installation.

Cut lines are drawn on the frontal surface.A 12 volt tape requires a power supply. It fits in any niche and is connected to the contacts at the end of the tape with a two-core wire with a cross section of 0.75 mm.The high-voltage tape is connected to the power supply without a power supply unit, through a rectifier.

How to illuminate the ceiling in the bathroom? Is it safe to use the LED strip where splashes can get?

The tapes differ among themselves, among other things, in the degree of protection. IP20 means no splash protection, but the IP67 design allows the lighting fixture to come into contact with water without any damage to itself. The tape in this design is easy to recognize by the silicone sheath.The silicone shell provides reliable protection against water.The limiting factor is only your taste. Don't use acid green for a baroque bedroom or red for a cozy country living room. The rest is complete freedom.If you want to experiment with colors, take a look at ready-made sets for lighting ceilings with RGB tape and a remote control. The backlight color can change on command from the remote control or at a certain frequency.RGB is short for Red, Green, Blue (red, green, blue).This parameter describes the correspondence of the light spectrum to the emission spectrum of an object heated to a certain temperature. 3000 Kelvin correspond to the spectrum of an incandescent lamp, 4000K - to daylight sunlight, 6000K - to the cold light of a gas-discharge mercury lamp.Color temperature scale.

What is the specific power per linear meter should have a contour lighting of the ceiling??

5 - 7 watts per meter is sufficient. A specific power of more than 12 watts will emphasize the slightest surface defects, besides, it is advisable to mount a tape of such power on a heat-dissipating aluminum profile (which, by the way, is much more expensive than the tape itself).Make sure the power rating of the PSU is greater than the total power of the tape.

Does the number of LEDs per meter affect the lighting performance?

Only for uniformity of illumination: 120 LEDs per meter will look like one continuous light source, and 30 - as a row of spotlights. Since we are going to place the lighting in a false ceiling or molding, this parameter can be neglected.LED layout options.It affects the ratio of luminosity in lumens and electricity consumption. Each new generation of LEDs is more economical than the previous ones. The best light sources at the moment have a light output of 150 or more lumens per watt, for most of the ones on the market - 50 - 80.

Which LEDs are preferred?

The power of 5 watts per meter does not leave much choice: in this market sector there are mainly prehistoric 3528 and, less often, 5050. If you find a tape on 5630 or 5730 - feel free to buy: they are brighter and more economical.The difference in the luminosity of LED 3528, 5050 and 5630.

How to make LED ceiling lighting with your own hands if you have already purchased an LED strip and a power supply for it?

How to make a suspended ceiling with drywall niches is a topic for a separate article, so I will describe the most simple scenario using a ceiling molding.The most important parameter of a baguette is the width of its vertical shelf. It will only hold on to it, therefore, the wider the plane adjacent to the wall, the better.Polyurethane molding for lighting installation.It is most convenient to glue the baguette on an acrylic putty. It is viscous and will not let the baseboard slide down. The putty is applied to the baguette shelf in a continuous strip using a spatula; it is also used for grouting cracks on the unevenness of the wall.Use a miter box and a sharp knife to cut the plinth in the corners.The connection of the plinth in the corners and along the length has one subtlety: glued only to the wall, it strives to move, making the joint noticeable. The problem is solved with a thin wooden dowel made from a match or a toothpick stuck into the ends of both plinths.Toothpicks? No, ready-made pins for connecting skirting boards!The PSU output is connected to the contacts at the end of the tape with a two-core wire. Do not mix up the polarity: plus to plus, minus to minus.The polarity is always indicated on the output terminals of the power supply.The power supply is installed in a ventilated niche: it heats up during operation and requires cooling.The tape is glued to the wall above the baguette or to its top shelf. The adhesive layer has already been applied to it by the manufacturer, you just need to remove the backing.The tape should be positioned so that it cannot be seen from the opposite end of the room.I will allow myself to give the dear reader a few more tips based on my own experience:

If there are children and pets at home, a niche with a power supply located at an accessible height should be protected from their curiosity by ventilation grilles. Contacts with high voltage at the input of the power supply unit are located openly, and it is better that no one touches them;

The niche with the power supply unit is closed with ventilation grilles.

If the ventilation grilles are with nets, you at the same time solve the problem of insects getting into the power unit. According to my personal statistics of the times of work in a service center for the repair of computers, they cause a good half of faults in high-voltage circuits;

Group suicide of cockroaches sent BP to a better world.

It is better to install a general switch to the power supply... In this case, the power supply unit will not consume electricity, and will warm up with the backlight off.

An upstream switch completely de-energizes the power supply.

LEDs do not heat the PVC ceiling. Accordingly, it does not deform or bend. In this regard, there is practically no alternative to LED strip.
The LED strip has a long lifespan of over 10,000 hours for white LEDs and over 30,000 hours for color LEDs. For this reason, they do not require access for maintenance, which is very important if a stretch ceiling is planned in the room.
The power consumption of the LEDs is minimal.
LED strip provides uniform light, while it can be used to create shapes of any shape on the ceiling and be laid in a structure of complex configuration.
Use colored LED strips under a stretch ceiling, which will diversify the design of the ceiling.
The light intensity can be adjusted by connecting the LED strip to the dimmer.

The main disadvantage of LEDs is the price. However, the reliability that they guarantee when used to illuminate a stretch ceiling from the inside more than compensates for this disadvantage.

Use LED strip to decorate the ceiling in the nursery. The soft glow of the ribbon will allow the baby, who is afraid of the dark, to sleep peacefully. And the low energy consumption will give parents the opportunity to leave the lighting on all night without worrying about the family budget.

Installation of LED lighting under a stretch ceiling is possible in several main ways. The choice depends on the initial design idea of the owners of the room, as well as the height of the room and the distance by which it can be reduced for the installation of the lighting system.

A single-level stretch ceiling with LED perimeter lighting is the most popular way to use tape.Visually, the ceiling appears to be floating in the air. The soft glow helps to tune in to relaxation and creates an atmosphere of calm and coziness. The brightness of the backlight can be adjusted. The LED strip is attached behind a special ceiling plinth slightly below the ceiling level, and the stretch fabric is suitable for both glossy and matte.

A stretch ceiling with LED strip installed inside allows you to create a unique light pattern. With one touch of the switch, you can turn the room into a disco hall, light up the starry sky or please children with images of your favorite cartoon characters. For patterned illumination, it is necessary to use a stretch fabric that transmits light rays. Glossy film will not work in this case, since it is absolutely opaque. It is better to opt for matte canvases.

Illumination of a stretch ceiling with LED strip is also possible when creating two-level structures, the perimeter of which is made of gypsum plasterboard. With this installation method, the tape is hidden in the resulting plasterboard box. The power supply unit and other necessary equipment can also be placed there. It is not recommended to use a glossy stretch fabric: the tape and all accessories will be reflected in it, like in a mirror.

Another interesting way to install lighting under a stretch ceiling is to use a special translucent stretch fabric. It is produced, for example, by the French company Clipso. Such canvases are thinner than fabric or PVC models, and they transmit light well, which allows LED backlighting to play the role of the main lighting in the room. Unfortunately, this type of ceiling is quite expensive.Try to use LED strips of different types in the design of the ceiling, differing in color, the number of LEDs per square meter. This will allow you to create several lighting zones in the room and diversify the interior.. Even a person with minimal construction skills can do the installation of LED lighting under a stretch ceiling with his own hands. It is necessary to draw a diagram of its location, calculate the required length, and also purchase power supplies and fixing accessories.