LED strip on the ceiling: 5 rules to avoid kitsch
This article is also available in French: Installer ruban led plafond
Install the strip as indirect light: a perimeter cornice a few centimetres from the ceiling, facing upwards, or a recess that only reveals the line. A single colour temperature for the room, 2700 K or 3000 K. An aluminium profile that diffuses rather than punctuates.
How do you install an LED strip on the ceiling without marks?
A strip stuck flat on the ceiling stays visible and draws a sharp line. Set into a recess, behind a cornice or in a profile facing the wall or upwards, it disappears. The light bounces off the surface and illuminates it without the source being seen.
Composing this line requires less equipment than method. A well-placed designer LED light also replaces the strip where no recess exists.
Which LED strip for a false ceiling?
On plasterboard, go for a 24 V strip in IP20: the room is dry. 12 V suits short lengths. 220 V is cut to length and connected without a transformer, but its thickness shows in a fine recess.
- IP20: the right rating for a living room ceiling, protected from moisture.
- 24 V: medium lengths, with a power supply to house somewhere.
- COB: continuous line, no visible light dots in the recess.
The three possible installations, and the one that forgives the most
The indirect cornice is the most forgiving installation: it accepts a standard strip, an approximate cut and an imperfect support.
| Installation | What you see | Tolerance to flaws |
|---|---|---|
| Recess set into the plasterboard | Nothing, a dark line | Low, any gap shows |
| Perimeter cornice | A painted moulding | High |
| Surface-mounted profile | A fine, sharp line | Medium |
In a recess, a COB strip erases the light dots: COB LED and its continuous light explains the difference.
The ceiling reflects a large part of a room's light, and yet it is the last surface we deal with. Thinking about it before the work avoids going back over a new ceiling: a living room and main room renovation is designed ceiling included.
On this precise point, the ceiling deserves ten minutes of thought before drilling, especially if it already carries a ceiling light.
What makes the price of a ceiling LED strip vary
Five items decide the bill: the strip, the profile or cornice, the power supply, the dimming, and the labour with access to the ceiling. The final amount depends above all on the last three, rarely on the metre of strip.
LED strip 12 V, 24 V or 220 V: what it changes for installation
| Type | What it requires | Where it suits |
|---|---|---|
| 12 V | Power supply nearby, short runs | Headboard, small living room |
| 24 V | Power supply to house, limited sections | Recess and cornice in a living room |
| 220 V | Thicker strip, direct connection | Long lengths, high ceilings |
The choice is therefore made on the space available, not on the label. And it is better checked at the scale of the house
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