How to Install LED Strip Lights?

LED strip lights are a great way to add accent lighting to your home. They are also popular for adding light in areas where you need extra illumination.

The strips can be cut to any length, and they come in many different colors so that you can find the perfect fit for your needs.

If you have never installed LED strip lights before, don’t be intimidated!

We’ll take you through each step so that anyone can do it!

how to install led strip lights

How to Install LED Strip Lights on Ceilings or Walls?

Do you want to install LED strip lights on your ceiling or walls?

Well, there are a few things you should know about before installing them.

Follow these instructions to get the best results for your home!

1. Ensure your installation space

To have the best lighting for your ceiling, you want to be sure that you place LED strips in an aesthetically pleasing way and not too distracting.

You can choose between installing them around the ceiling perimeter or spacing them out evenly across.

There are many ways to install these lights depending on how high up they will go; however, it is important that they do not block any light fixtures or windows as this will cause an issue with brightness.

If they are for aesthetics, then it is best to place them near a focal point or an area with the most natural light so that they can be seen more easily and have a nice contrast against the other colors in your room.

If these lights will be used as accent lighting, then it is best to position them near furniture or objects that need highlighting.

2. Gather the Tools

LED strips are often thin and can be attached to the vertical, inner edges of ceiling panels.

When placed strategically, they can effectively hide them.

To mount, you use double-sided tape or mounting adhesive that sticks to both the panel and the underside of the strip for a secure install.

3. Follow the detailed steps

Have you ever tried to install LED strips on a ceiling? It can be difficult and messy. But with this step-by-step guide, it will be easy as pie!

Step 1: First, measure the distance you need for your LED strip.

Step 2: Next, find the center point of your room and measure from there to where you want to place the first end of your strip.

Step 3: Now that you’ve drawn out how long you want it to be, take a pen or pencil and mark off those points on both sides of where it meets up with the wall at each end so that they are in line with one another.

Step 4: The next step is installing the LED strips. Some LED strips have adhesive attached to the back, so you can stick them in place by peeling and sticking them to a wall or ceiling.

Dos and Don’ts During the LED Strip Lights Installation

Do you want to or already have LED strip lights installed in your home?

If so, then it’s important to follow some simple dos and don’ts.

Here are a few tips that will help make the installation process easier:

1. Do not install LED strip lights in wet or humid places

The LEDs are sensitive and can be easily damaged if they come into contact with moisture.

It might damage their circuits which eventually can cause corrosion, damage to circuitry, or even short out LEDs entirely.

2. Don’t exceed the specified wattage of an individual light

Make sure not to exceed anyone’s light’s wattage when installing an LED strip, or else it will burn out prematurely and stop working altogether due to overloading after being on for long periods.

3. Do consider the size of your room when purchasing LED strip lights

LED light strips are a great way to add ambient lighting and ambiance in rooms of all shapes, sizes, and moods.

Consider the size of your room when purchasing LED light strips so that they don’t take up too much space or end up looking dinky on larger walls.

LED lights can be used to accentuate delicate paintings to create an atmosphere perfect for reading books.

4. Don’t bend or twist the LEDs when installing them

LEDs are fragile and need to be handled with care.

Avoid bending or twisting the LED when installing them because it could crack, break, or melt in some cases.

5. Don’t forget to turn off any nearby appliances before installing and unplugging the LED light strips

This may seem like a small thing, but it’s important to remember: always turn off your nearby appliances before installing and unplugging the LED light strips.

This will ensure that you won’t be shocked by any sudden electrical surges or lose power for other devices in your home.

how to put up led strip lights

How to Connect LED Strip Lighting?

The first thing that you should do is make sure your power source is off and disconnected from the power supply before attempting to reconnect it.

Then, the thing that needs to be done is to match up the positive and negative sides of the LEDs along with connecting all of the wires between each other on both sides.

How to Connect Multiple Strip Lights to One Power Source?

In order to connect the lights in series, you would need to purchase extension cords with enough wattage to power all the strips.

Then, wire each light with a male plug at one end and a female plugin at the other end, or the positives and negatives of each strip should be hooked up together.

How to Cut LED Strip Lighting?

You can cut the LED strip, but it needs to be done correctly, or else you will lose some of the brightness.

Cutting LED strip lights can be tricky because they’re so thin, but it’s quite easy with these simple steps:

Step 1: Measure your LED strip. Before cutting your LED strip, measure the length and width of it.

Once you’ve measured it out appropriately, use those measurements as guidelines for where to make cuts to avoid having too much leftover after finishing up!

Step 2: Cut the LED strip lighting with scissors. I

f you have a pair of scissors or wire cutters handy, go ahead and make sure to cut straight a copper dot that is placed at the point where each light connects to the one after it on the strip so that they will not damage the LEDs on either side along with any wires attached to them.

Step 3: Additionally, you can use electrical tape to secure the cut ends together and prevent any short circuits.

How to Wire LED Strip Lights?

When it comes to wiring, there are a number of things you can do.

Using different types of wire to create your own unique design, here is an easy guide on setting up LED strip lights. 

Step 1: The first thing you need to do is make sure the power supply for the LED Strip Lights matches the required voltage by each light.

For example, if you have 12-volt lights, then use a 12-volt power supply or vice versa.

Step 2: Next, connect all wires from the power source and plug them into their respective terminal on the strip light end with input ports.

Step 3: Let’s imagine that your LED strip has three connections.

You’ll need to connect the positive connector from your power supply to one of these LEDs and then connect the other two home or RGB lights back to the negative wire on your power supply.

Step 4: Connecting all of this in parallel will give you a broad daytime setting, whereas connecting each light in series will give you a higher color temperature display for nighttime operation.

Step 5: To have each light work independently with its own on/off switch, add an additional connection between the common terminal (first connection at either end) and one more of the lamps, wiring them indifferent if you want some independent control over their colors while leaving others alone.

Step 6: For your lights to have a more seamless, consistent glow, you’ll need to position the strips with about 1/4″ space between them.

The distance can vary depending on what the final effect you are going for is.

Step 7: You may want a closer spacing if you want a brighter “lit up” effect in certain parts of the room.

In this case, make sure that all LEDs face each other to give off light rather than just reflective surfaces towards one another.

Step 8: At least a 1/4″ gap should exist between half of those rows so that there is a section where the strip doesn’t touch for light to bleed through from one strip onto the other.

How to Connect RGB LED Strip Lights to an RGB Controller

RGB LED strips are pretty awesome because they come with a controller that allows you to change the color of the lights.

The first step to connecting the strip lights is to choose how many strands of RGB LED strip.

A 50-watt power supply will provide sufficient power for using 10 strands of LED’s and should be adequate for most applications.

If you want to set up your own custom lighting scheme, then this is an excellent way to do it!

That is why we’re going to break it down into six simple steps:

Step 1: Find the end of a single strand of RGB LED strip lights.

Step 2: Connect one end to the input on an RGB controller, and connect the other end to an output on the same controller.

Step 3: Repeat step 2 for each additional strand of LEDs.

Step 4: Plug in your RGB controller and power it up with a USB cable or AC adapter.

Step 5: Ensure that all strands are plugged into their respective inputs/outputs on your RGB Controller before powering it up.

Step 6: Connect the power supply to the RGB controller. Then, turn on your lighting!

If you have any problems with connections or colors not working correctly, turn off all lights and go back through these steps until everything is connected correctly.

FAQs

1. Can I connect LED strip lights to mains?

Yes, but be sure to use a qualified connector wire and driver.

Some LED tape reels will come with connectors that you need to solder onto your strip light.

However, if it doesn’t have these on the reel, you may need to buy some connector wire and a driver to properly power your lights.

2. How to connect led lights to a power bank?

You will need an extension cord with one male end and one female end.

Plug the female side of the extension cord into the USB port on the power bank and plug the male end of the extension cord into your power strip with LED strips attached.

Make sure that all plugs are tight before turning on any switches!

3. How many led strip lights can be connected?

There is no fixed number. As long as they are compatible, you can connect any number of them.

Multiple factors determine this, including the quality and consistency of the lights, their wattage, their total length in feet.

It is never recommended to wire two consecutive strips of LED lights in series because it introduces a significant voltage drop between each strip.

4. Can LED strip lights be hardwired?

Yes, you can hardwire LED strip lights. When hardwiring the strips, you will just need to make solid connections between the power supply and each light.

It does not matter which end of a light you connect first as long as both ends are connected completely in a good electrical connection.

5. Can I wire LED strip lights to a switch?

You can wire LEDs into a junction box and then connect the junction box to a switch.

Generally, switches on LED lights are not necessary because many designs come with remote control options. However, if you want an on/off switch, you would need to a junction box.

Conclusion

The benefits of LED strip lights are endless.

They can be used anywhere in your home to add accent lighting as well as light where you need it most, like under kitchen cabinets or around the perimeter of a room.

These strips offer many different colors, so they will match any décor style, and with our easy installation guide, anyone can do it!