LED strip lights have become increasingly popular in recent years due to their versatility and energy efficiency. One question that often comes up is whether LED strip lights can be installed around corners or if they can only be used in straight lines.
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Quick Answer
The quick answer is yes, LED strip lights can be installed around corners and bends. However, it requires some special considerations and preparations to do so properly.
How Do LED Strip Lights Work?
To understand how LED strip lights can go around corners, it helps to first understand how they work in general. LED strip lights consist of small LED bulbs mounted onto a flexible strip. The strip contains wiring and contacts that transfer power from the power source to each individual LED bulb.
The LED bulbs only emit light in one direction, perpendicular to the strip surface. The strip contains cuts between each LED, allowing it to flex and bend around shapes and corners. This is how LED strips can be shaped around curved surfaces and corners when installed correctly.
Considerations for Installing Around Corners
When installing LED strip lights around corners and bends, there are some important factors to consider:
- Minimum bend radius – LED strips are designed to bend only so far before the circuitry and LEDs become damaged. Check the specs of your lights and do not bend past the recommended minimum radius.
- Power wires – Wires inside the LED strip provide power. Bending the strip too far can cause the wires to break and interrupt the power flow.
- Adhesion – LED strips are self-adhesive, but may not stick well to certain surfaces or shapes. Additional adhesive or clips may be needed on bends.
- Seams – To go around tight corners, you may need to cut the strip and connect separate pieces. This can create visible seams in the lighting.
Keeping these factors in mind will allow you to plan the layout and install the LEDs properly around bends and corners.
Tips for Installing Around Corners
Here are some useful tips to help install LED strip lights seamlessly around corners:
Check the minimum bend radius
Don’t bend the strip tighter than what the LED manufacturer recommends. Going past the minimum bend radius can break the strip. Refer to the specs of your lights for the exact radius measurement.
Make relief cuts if needed
For tight corners, make small relief cuts in the backing tape to help the strip bend more easily without creasing or folding. The cuts should go just through the backing, without severing the wiring or LED strip itself.
Use flexstrips for extra flexibility
For corners and shapes where standard LED strips won’t flex enough, consider using specialized flexstrips that are made of thinner and more flexible PCB boards.
Add supplemental adhesive
On corners and bends, the self-adhesive tape may not hold as well. Use additional adhesive like silicone glue or mounting clips to keep the lights secured in place.
Connect separate strips for seamless bends
At tight corners, you’ll likely need to cut the strip and install separate pieces on each side of the bend. Connect the cut strips with wire connectors to create a seamless look.
Attach to a mounting surface first
For clean bends, attach the strip lighting to a mounting surface like wood trim or plastic channels first. This helps support the lights before bending them into place.
LED Flex Strips
A specialized type of LED strip light that is designed for bending and curving is the LED flex strip. These lights use thinner, more flexible PCB boards that can handle tighter bend radiuses.
Here are some key advantages of using LED flex strips for corners and irregular shapes:
- More flexible – Can bend up to 90 degrees on a 1/8” radius
- Thinner – Approx 1mm thick PCB for tighter bends
- Strategic cut points – Perforations allow clean bending at multiple points
- Easy to work with – Softer material is easier to mount around curves
LED flex strips come in various LED densities, brightness levels, and lengths to suit different installation needs. They make it much simpler to achieve clean, seamless bends with LED strip lights.
Corner Connectors and Clips
In addition to LED flex strips, there are some other helpful products made specifically for installing LED strip lights around corners and angles:
Corner connectors
Corner connectors are plastic joints that you can feed the LED strip into at a corner. This hides any exposed wiring and creates clean 90 degree bends.
End caps
End caps cover the end of the LED strip, allowing you to attach separate strips pointing in different directions for seamless corners.
Mounting clips
Plastic clips grabs onto the strip at corners and hold it in place for more secure adhesion on bends and angles.
Using products like these along with the proper installation techniques will allow LED strips to bend cleanly around corners and irregular surface shapes. They help hide seams and wiring for more professionallooking results.
Sample Wiring Diagram
Here is a sample wiring diagram showing how multiple LED strip lights can be wired and installed around a 90 degree corner:
[Insert wiring diagram]
The key steps are:
- Cut strip 1 at the halfway point
- Install first half of strip 1 along vertical surface
- Use end cap to terminate end of first strip
- Install second strip from end cap around corner in horizontal direction
- Connect second strip to power wires with connectors
- Continue installing strip 2 along horizontal surface to desired length
This creates a continuous LED strip that travels seamlessly around a 90 degree corner. The end cap piece hides any exposed wires or connectors at the corner joint.
Choosing the Right LED Strips
When installing LED strip lights around corners, it’s important to choose the right LED strip type and rating. Here are the key factors to consider:
Flexibility
The strip needs to be flexible enough to bend around the corners without cracking or snapping. Flexstrips are the most flexible.
LED density
Higher density LEDs (60 LEDs per meter or more) are recommended to ensure good illumination around corners.
Adhesive backing
A strong, high-quality adhesive will better hold the lights in place around curves and edges.
IP rating
Choose strips rated IP65 or higher for waterproofing around outdoor corners.
Thickness
Thinner strips (10mm wide or less) bend easier around tight corners and take up less space.
Considering these specifications when selecting the LED strips will ensure you choose the right lights for clean, visible illumination around any corner or shape.
Conclusion
Installing LED strip lights around corners and bends is certainly possible with the right products and techniques. By following the minimum bend radius, using supplemental adhesives or clips, and connecting multiple strip sections seamlessly, LEDs can be shaped around any interior or exterior corner.
Choosing flexible LED strip options like flexstrips makes bending easier. Corner connecting accessories like end caps and mounting clips also produce professional, consistent results around all types of corners. With the proper layout planning and preparation, LED strip lights can illuminate any space stylishly and seamlessly.