LED ceiling lights: the pros and cons

Making the ceiling of a modern home is akin to art. Today, even a laconic design can be changed beyond recognition. Take at least the LED lighting: with its help, you can radically change the aesthetic perception of the ceiling, and sometimes even completely erase the boundaries of the upper ceiling. In this article, we will look at the pros and cons of this lighting, study the basic placement criteria, through which you can visually change the space of rooms.

LED ceiling lighting is a new generation of lighting. It involves lamps of a special type, characterized by high quality and performance characteristics. It differs from the usual lamps of the central type, and due to the particularly intense light flux, it can perform the function of the main lighting.If the power of the light sources is small, such lighting devices may be an additional illumination.

A distinctive feature of such bulbs is harmlessness. In the process, they do not emit toxins, do not contain mercury, so it is absolutely safe for the body. This light does not hit a current (it is low voltage). This fact excludes the possibility of fire. This backlight does not have a UV effect on the skin, like incandescent bulbs.

Its light is soft, pleasant to the eyes. It is scientifically proven that LED light is able to normalize a person’s emotional state, reducing nervous excitement. According to the latest medical data, such illumination does not age the skin and can accelerate the regeneration of tissues, as well as neurons. This allows the use of such lighting in all rooms, without fear that in the process of long-term use, it can have a negative impact.

No other type of lighting has so many possibilities for decorating a space. At the same time, it is possible to successfully combine the ceiling lighting with the wall lighting, select the desired section of the wall, if it is necessary to zone the room into separate functional areas.With relatively small forms, this light can illuminate the room quite brightly. This allows it to be used in small-sized apartments (for example, "Khrushchev", "Stalin", "Brezhnev"), without overloading the ceiling with massive lamps.

Through such devices, you can beat the shortcomings of the design features of a room, diverting attention from them and giving visible imperfections to the merits of an interior composition. The possibilities of such lighting are great. If you correctly approach the design of the ceiling area, you can visually make the walls higher and wider, which will improve the room and make it easier. Some systems, with a successful combination with ceiling trimming, completely erase the borders of the ceiling, giving the space a feeling of airiness (for example, using the backlight on the diodes in a stretch ceiling composition with photo printing).

These light sources are unique compared to other lamp options. They do not contain heavy metals, they are often compatible with dimmers and have a minimum pulsation coefficient. In some designs it is possible to select the angle of inclination of the light flux.A notable fact is a wide range of caps, which allows you to choose the right lighting option.

This light has a number of advantages:

• Minimum heating. A distinctive feature of the LED backlight is the minimum heating of the light sources. This eliminates the possibility of injury when touching the switched on lamp, as well as the use of these devices in designs with built-in lighting (not every type of luminaire needs an insulating substrate).
• Variability of forms. LED illumination differs not only a wide range of forms of lamps. It is notable for the fact that in the design of the lighting of the ceiling, you can use at the same time several lamps of different types of the same design, changing the perception of the ceiling zone of the room. In this case, you can give the ceiling the illusion of volume.

• Efficiency. LED lighting saves energy by converting most of it into light. In comparison with other types of lamps, it is about 10 times more economical. This allows you to perform any light composition, without fear of electricity bills.
• Type of light flux. No other backlight has the ability to change the hue of the light flux. These systems have a lot of possibilities for decorating the ceiling, including changing the hue of the glow at the request of the home owner. Lighting can be monochromatic or rainbow. In this case, the diodes are resistant to power surges and do not fail in case of accidents in the power supply network.

• LED work. Unlike other light sources, LED bulbs do not produce noise during operation. Despite their straightforward orientation, they do not blink, so they do not irritate the retina and the optic nerve. However, in most varieties, the intensity of the glow can be adjusted as desired.
• Durability. The service life of such a backlight is about 100 thousand hours. This light reaches the intensity of light instantly, it does not need to heat up to shine brighter. Due to the absence of filaments, it is vibration resistant and has a degree of protection. It is not afraid to touch her hands, the service life of this will not decrease.
• Temperature. These lamps have a color temperature scale. Optionally, you can pick up the light from 2600 to 10000 K.The range of tones for constant illumination includes warm and cold tones from dark yellow to blue and violet. This is convenient in that the buyer has the opportunity to choose a device with the right temperature for playing around the window layout with a lack of natural light.

With a lot of positive characteristics and benefits, LED lighting is not without flaws:

• The high quality of LED lighting devices is characteristic of mainly high-class luminaires with a high-quality power supply. Cheap analogue drivers can flicker like fluorescent lamps.
• Despite the ability of the backlight to relieve tension, according to research, it adjusts to the working mode, increasing the release of serotonin. For people with insomnia, it can cause some discomfort.
• Due to the special demand for such products are often forged, which does not exclude the possibility of buying a fake. In this case, there is no certainty that the backlight is harmless and will not irritate the eyes. The only way out would be to use it in places of lesser use (for example, a storage room).

• In the process, LED bulbs degrade, which affects their performance in a few years. This may be a loss of intensity of the flux.
• If the lighting elements are at a great distance from each other, the lighting in the room loses its uniformity.
• In the chain variants, if one LED fails, the backlight stops working, as the entire network is disturbed.
• Quality LED lighting products are expensive. If you buy a high power device for composite backlighting, it will affect the budget.

To date, LED lights for the ceiling are of several types:

• Contour - backlight with a diffuse glow, in the process of forming a single light strip;
• Directional - lighting, mounted in such a way that the light flux is directed along the ceiling and illuminates it;
• Spot - compact lamps mounted in the ceiling, the luminous flux of which is directed downwards;
• Figured - the placement of the light in the ceiling lights.

In addition, each type is characterized by its own form. Ceiling lighting is divided into several varieties.It can be working, sliding and accent (track). Models consist of categories of industrial, office, commercial lighting, lamps for sports facilities, educational institutions. If desired, and creative design, many of them are suitable for a particular interior style.

The entire range of similar products is divided into:

• LED ribbon illumination on a flexible substrate, connected to the network through a compact rectifier;
• panel-diodes on a rigid base with a diffuser or varieties in the form of cut into strips of LED strips;
• LED spotlights and spotlights with built-in reflector.

From the point of view of efficiency, it is more profitable to take panels for ceiling lighting. However, for even distribution of light, spotlights are better: if they are located at the same distance from each other, there will be no dark spots and shadow corners in the room. Tapes are especially good for ceilings with a complex configuration. They allow you to accent curly lines, giving the ceiling of two or more levels of uniqueness. At the same time, they are well combined with accent lighting of the ceiling and are particularly appropriate for the design of stretch ceilings with a pattern.

Do not rush to buy lights on the LEDs immediately. First, you should visit the store and choose an option or several models. When selecting the LED backlight, pay attention not to the number of hours of operation: check whether the model has a radiator and what it is made of. This device removes the temperature from the LED unit. Do not buy a plastic radiator, it is better to choose a model with a cooling system in the form of a ribbed aluminum surface.

When choosing, consider the following nuances:

• select a transparent type of light sources: in the matte varieties, the presence and type of the radiator are not visible;
• check the model for pulsation;
• good LEDs are coated with phosphors;
• quality products have an informational component in the package;
• externally, the backlight should not have gaps, irregularities, roughness;
• Give preference to varieties with the ability to change color (RGB).

When buying ready-made kits or flexible tape, you need to take into account the total capacity. From this will depend on the intensity of illumination of the ceiling and the overall energy consumption. This indicator is important at that stage when the question of illumination is solved as the main illumination or additional. In order for the lighting to be sufficient, it is necessary to add 20% to the calculated power.The type of basement matters (especially for embedded and overhead models).

Consider the purpose of the room:

• soft, warm colors are needed to illuminate the bedroom or seating area;

• in the office the light should be equal to the daylight;

• for lighting the bathroom and bathroom ceiling a neutral tone will do;

• in the living room you should choose color options with the possibility of choosing a neutral, warm and white color.

Do not take color monochrome ribbon: red, green, blue, green color with daily use for a long period of time will begin to depress the psyche. It is better to buy varieties with a change of color.

The placement of LED lighting depends on the design idea of ​​the ceiling lighting. If desired, this lighting can be used in the living room, bedroom, children's room, bathroom, study, home library, hallway, hallway and even a storage room. In this case, the advantage of such lighting is the fact that it is appropriate in different directions of design: it looks harmonious in the classic, modern, ethnic, vintage styles of the interior.

More placement options for the tape.It can be embedded inside the structure: this will give the ceiling volume. Even a laconic design will look special in the evening if the ceiling is decorated with a lacy pattern of a luminous ribbon, a lightning, a realistic composition with glittering stars in the evening. The flexibility of the substrate allows you to lay out different patterns from the tape. In addition, it can be supplemented with fiber, due to which the effect of the ceiling zone design will be non-transferable. Interior ceiling lighting makes it realistic image.

The panels are placed predominantly in one or two places of the ceiling; these are embedded types of lighting. Most often they are used to illuminate individual functional areas (for example, the kitchen, hallway and corridor, study). Accent spotlights are used along the contour of the box or the curved edges of the ceiling levels. In combination with the ribbon illumination, they give completeness to the lighting composition, without competing with each other.

Adjustable tilt lights are good for creative styling. For example, they perfectly convey the atmosphere of styles loft, grunge, brutalism.Such devices are self-sufficient, they are used in large quantities to illuminate the ceiling, decorating their ceiling beams. They are better combined with the panels, if desired, you can add them with wall lighting.

Installation of LED backlight depends on its type. If these are built-in varieties, they are mounted along with the installation of the ceiling. The tape can be used in different ways. It is easy to make highlighting with its help, it will not require the involvement of a specialist from the outside. Ways are subject to the conceived idea of ​​design. More often it is installed in a plinth and a box from gypsum cardboard.

This may be a concise underline box on the perimeter. In this case, initially to the design of the ceiling they glue or fasten the plinth, leaving a gap of 8-10 cm from the ceiling. Liquid nails are usually sufficient for fixation. The tape is attached directly to the back side of the eaves with a sticky side, removing the protective layer from the substrate. Then connect the power supply and connect to the network.

If the backlight needs to be done during the installation of a two-level ceiling, either a gap of 10 cm (for the tape channel) or an opening is left for the backlight.In the installation of the stretch ceiling in the canvas can do the punctures necessary for the diodes located at the ends of the fiber threads. If the backlight LED light sources provides for the installation of a chandelier, it is performed after the design of the ceiling itself. However, the wiring is thought out in advance.

When performing the ceiling lighting with LED devices, it is worthwhile to think over the composition in advance. A classic chandelier together with laconic dot diodes will not look beautiful. This will especially seem inappropriate if the lamps are different in style and design. In each case, it is important to consider that if the LEDs will replace the central lighting, other types of lamps are removed from the ceiling.

For self-installation easier to buy ready-made kits. For example, it can be a flexible tape, which is sold in reels of 5 m. It can have 1 or 2 rows of LEDs that differ in rarefaction. At certain intervals on it marked the place of the cut. The intensity of the glow depends on the size of the diodes. The larger and more often they are located, the brighter the LED light.

You should not buy tape material with the number of LEDs per 1 m, equal to 30 pieces, as well as the model, where there are 240. You can stop at an average of 60 to 120 pieces per meter. In this case, note: if you need a relaxing atmosphere, the number of light sources should not exceed 60 pieces, while their size should be small. If the complete replacement of a classical chandelier is conceived, it is worth buying a double-row ribbon.

When mounting the ceiling, pick up the diode lights so that when the lamp burns out it is easy to replace. Therefore, pay attention to the type of base and the shape of the lamps: a non-standard version is more difficult to find in the store.

When mounting the backlight with the abbreviation RGB combination is carried out on the basis of color:

• R is red;
• G - greenish;
• B - blue (blue).
• The fourth contact is 12 or 24 V.

Hiding the lighting under the baseboard, it is not glued to the wall: in this case, it can be seen that visually simplifies the design of the ceiling. If the light is designed with the transition to the wall, try to close it with a curb. When combining a chandelier and a ribbon, it makes sense to make a ring-shaped level around the chandelier, framing its edge with a ribbon. So the ceiling will look original and beautiful, while the lamps themselves are at risk to look fragmented.

Let us turn to examples of beautiful design of the ceiling with LED lighting in the apartment.

An example of a combination of ribbon and spot lights, in which harmony is achieved.

Emphasizing the guest area makes the atmosphere special. The use of a warm shade softens the effect of the blue backlight.

An unusual solution for lovers of creative: in the afternoon the ceiling is completely laconic, in the evening lightning is visible on its canvas.

Identical design of the ceiling and wall lights with LEDs makes the atmosphere of the bedroom cozy.

A good solution is a multi-colored rainbow lighting: the presence of cheerful colors, put together, gives the room a positive perception.

Highlighting a small area conveys the feeling of an open window, filling the space with air.

Highlighting the tension structure of a two-level ceiling with the possibility of a separate glow of point and band lamps conveys a special atmosphere.

Decorating the ceiling with ribbon illumination with accent spotlights makes the ceiling space elegant. The possibility of a separate backlight allows you to vary the light pattern.

Built-in LED lights can convey the realistic twinkling of stars.

You can look at options of a sublattice of stretch ceilings in this video.