Housewives spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Good lighting should be included in any design and layout of the room. With the right distribution of light sources, cooking will bring only joy. LED lighting for the working area of the kitchen looks stylish and does not require high energy costs.
Tape Benefits
LED strip has many advantages when compared with conventional light sources. From it you can make a lamp yourself or buy a ready-made diode lamp. Main advantages:
Kitchen lighting can have various complex shapes, as this material is highly flexible. The adhesive layer on the reverse side allows you to use the devices in any convenient place. It also makes installation much easier.
Kitchen LED illumination of the working area is very comfortable for the eyes. It doesn't have annoying flicker. This solution allows you not to use the main light, if the required number of diodes was correctly calculated.
The service life of such lamps does not depend in any way on the number of inclusions, unlike conventional incandescent lamps. If the equipment has been properly installed, it can last up to 16 years. This is approximately 50 thousand hours. The device does not need time to heat up.
With a design approach to the design of the kitchen, you can use a variety of backlight colors. There are also tapes that work in the infrared or ultraviolet spectrum.
Backlight location
To make the right lighting in the kitchen, you need to break it into several zones. There should be a working and dining area, as well as general light. Often people are not limited to functional lighting, but use LED strip in a wide variety of places. Position highlight possible in the following areas:
Attaching the LED strip to the kitchen set is not difficult. Such lighting can be placed almost anywhere.
Product device
All products based on LEDs (ribbons, lamps, various types of lamps) are able to provide an optimal degree of illumination and maximum comfort. Such systems perfectly complement the general lighting and are able to fit into any interior. To create a spectacular design design of the room, it is necessary to correctly distribute the light fluxes and select the necessary lighting. Ice tapes perform not only a functional role, but also an aesthetic one. LED lighting can bring new elements to the design of the interior space.
Tapes based on LEDs are used for decorative lighting of furniture, various niches, and they can also be installed on cornices. In the kitchen, they are most often used to perform high-quality illumination of the work area.
These tapes are very elastic and have an adhesive backing. An LED is a semiconductor that emits light when an electric current is applied. The brightness depends on the chemical composition and the specific type of element. The lighting scheme includes:
- Block or power generator.
- Dimmers. These are certain connectors with which you can easily connect several separate elements.
- Controller. It is used for multi-colored ribbons.
When installing LED lighting yourself, you must remember that you can not connect the equipment directly to the network. So the device can quickly overheat and burn out. Be sure to use a stabilizer.
Diode types
The equipment is of various types and types. When planning the organization of lighting, this must be taken into account. Before purchasing a device, you should find out its technical characteristics. It must be remembered that the kitchen is a room in which temperature and humidity levels are constantly changing.
To create additional illumination in the room, the SMD-3528 diode is often used. This species consists of only one crystal. The diode emits quite a bit of light. It is used only to implement design ideas.
SMD-5050 in the design has 3 crystals. Each of them has 2 outputs. Can emit light of various colors. Often blue, orange, red and other crystals are installed on the tape. In terms of functionality, they are used only as an additional backlight.
The brightest diodes are SMD-5630, 5730, 2835. The angle of propagation of light radiation reaches 160 degrees. Such devices provide good lighting that can be used as the main one.
When choosing an ice tape, you need to know how many diodes go per meter. The maximum amount provides the brightest and most uniform glow.
Also, tapes can have a different degree of protection. They are used for installation in different conditions. Types of LED devices according to the degree of protection:
To organize lighting in the kitchen, it is best to choose LEDs of the second type (one-sided). It is also very important to choose the right power supply.
Illumination of the working environment in the kitchen with LEDs: photo gallery
Selecting a power supply
For stable operation of the backlight, you must purchase a power supply that has a power reserve of 25%. The technical characteristics of the tape itself should be obtained from consultants. On the product, the power is indicated taking into account one running meter.
It must be multiplied by the footage. For example, if one meter consumes 7 watts, then the power of four will be 28 watts. So, the power supply must be bought at 36 watts. The more compact the model, the easier it is to solder and hide the device so that it is not conspicuous. Switches for LED strips there are several types:
- The simplest are push buttons.
- Touch. They work by touch.
- infrared. You can control the backlight with a wave of your hand.
- Dimmer. With it, you can adjust the brightness of the glow. Produced in mechanical and sensory form.
- Control block. This element is necessary if you want to create flashing or overflows of different colors. Used for multi-color RGB strips. Such effects are rarely used.
If the backlight consists of several tapes, then their connection should be carried out only in a parallel way. This allows you to save the allocated power of the luminous flux.
Making a lamp with your own hands
To assemble the device, you need a diode tape of the required length and, preferably, a guide profile (aluminum is usually used). If the backlight is placed in an aluminum rail structure, it will look much neater. You will also need the following items:
- Power supply of the required power.
- Switch.
- Heat shrink. It is needed for hermetic connection of elements.
- Electrical cable.
- Plug for wire or terminal. The choice depends on the type of connection.
The LED strip must be completely protected from moisture. This is necessary for fire safety. It is best to choose a type of protection that can withstand a jet of water. The safest voltage is 12 watts.
The backlight should provide the required level of illumination. According to the spectrum, it is better to choose such diodes, the glow of which is close to daylight. It is advisable to choose a device that has 3 crystals in the design. To provide the room with bright light, you can use a tape with 60 diodes per linear meter. But most often 30 is enough, since the kitchen lighting should not be too bright.
Installation of equipment
The backlight device must be assembled taking into account several rules. So the whole system will last much longer. Key recommendations:
The fastening of the LED strip is carried out using an adhesive base. At first, the device can be attached only in some places to ensure the correct position, and then it is necessary to firmly press the tape along the entire length.