An important point in the interior design of any room is the right lighting. Also in the kitchen, with the right distribution of light, it becomes more pleasant and easier to cook delicious food. It is quite possible for a non-professional to install LED kitchen lighting with their own hands, the main thing is to correctly calculate and design the distribution of light. In this article, we will consider the main options for LED lighting for the kitchen.

The principle of operation and the device of LEDs

An LED is a semiconductor that emits light when electricity passes through it. The brightness of the light emitted by an LED depends on the chemical composition of which the LED is made.

It is not allowed to connect the LEDs directly to the power supply, as it may overheat and break the LED. LEDs are connected only through a stabilizer, which is called a current-stabilizing circuit.

According to the color scheme, LEDs are distinguished: infrared, red, orange, green, blue, yellow, purple, purple, ultraviolet and white.

LEDs are used as indoor lighting, and are also used as amplifiers for portable spotlights or car headlights. For decorative purposes, special LED strips are used, which add sophistication and brightness to the overall style of the interior.

Advantages of using LEDs as a backlight:

• high level of light brightness;
• a high degree of resistance to mechanical damage;
• long lines of operation, with 16 hours of operation, the LED can last 16 years;
• a huge selection of color variations;
• when turned on, they do not require time to warm up, but immediately shine very brightly;
• have different radiation angles;
• due to the popularization of LEDs, they have an affordable price;
• are characterized by safety and undemanding to the temperature conditions of placement;
• quite environmentally friendly, do not emit harmful substances.

SMD LEDs, which are easy to install and use for a long time, are widely popular. SMD LEDs share:

• by the number of crystals: single-crystal, two-crystal, three-crystal and four-crystal;
• according to the type of glow: monochrome and full-color;
• in size: from 1.6 * 0.8 mm to 5.0 * 5.0 mm.

Varieties of LED strips

LED strips are called LED strips - this is a certain number of small LEDs placed on the same plane to facilitate the installation of LEDs.

According to the density of LEDs, the following LED strips are distinguished:

• SMD 3038 60 LEDs per meter;
• SMD 3038 120 LEDs;
• SMD 3038 240 LEDs;
• SMD 5050 30 LEDs;
• SMD 5050 60 LEDs;
• SMD 5050 120 LEDs.

The number of LEDs depends on the level of brightness of the lighting and the power consumption.

According to the degree of moisture protection, there are:

• IP 20 - for rooms that do not require moisture protection, for example, the ceiling in the bedroom or in the living room;
• IP 65 - medium level of moisture protection, suitable for use in the bathroom or in the kitchen;
• IP 68 - completely moisture resistant LED strip, used to illuminate fountains or pools.

Choosing and buying an LED strip

Before buying an LED strip, decide on the type of lighting. For example, for countertop lighting, the best option is SMD 50 * 50 tape, which consists of three crystals. Such a tape is able to provide bright illumination of the work surface.

SMD 35*28 tape is suitable for decorative purposes, such as decorating them or shelves, creating a romantic atmosphere.

The number of color changes of the tape depends on the number of crystals. For example, in SMD 50 * 50, three colors are possible, and in the SMD 35 * 28 LED strip, only one. When combining the brightness of different colors, LED strips reach 15 million shades.

The LED strip is sold in rolls of five meters, you should additionally purchase a power supply and fasteners.

Options for decorating a kitchen with LED lighting

• creating a glass kitchen backsplash that changes color;
• illumination of glass shelves or stained-glass windows, which turns on when the shelves are opened, and then turns off;
• kitchen countertop lighting, which helps in the work in the kitchen;
• lighting the bottom of the bedside tables, creating the effect of floating furniture;
• one-, two- or three-level ceiling lighting will add space and modernity;
• dividing the kitchen into working and dining areas by combining different types of lighting;
• lighting cornices or cabinets;
• decorating a door or arch with LED strips;
• installation of niches or shelves that are illuminated by LEDs;
• installation of LED lighting on paintings, mirrors or shelves;
• to create a light and airy effect, you should attach LED strips on the top and bottom of the kitchen furniture at the same time;
• LED lighting is used to highlight the bar counter or glass cabinet;
• in the presence of a glass tabletop, spot lighting is used with LEDs, which are placed under the lid;
• for classic lighting, use warm tones of LEDs, and for modern style, use cold tones.

There are many options for installing LED lighting in the kitchen, but the main condition is to provide the kitchen space with enough light.

Kitchen countertop LED lighting

The main function of kitchen countertop lighting is to provide light to the work area, which is used for cooking.

To create LED lighting for the working area of ​​the kitchen, it is better to choose an LED strip with an average level of moisture protection. The protective layer will protect the LEDs from the ingress of various liquids, water, dirt or steam, and will also allow the cabinets to be wiped along with the LEDs.

The LED lighting strip is attached to the tabletop using a special aluminum LED profile. The profile is used to store wires and create a light and presentable look of lighting. There is another way to attach the LED strip to the surface of the tabletop - gluing. There are self-adhesive LED strips that are easy to install and are in no way inferior to ordinary LED strips.

For LED countertop lighting, a good option would be to install LED fixtures that can fit into the smallest corner of the countertop and provide quite bright lighting. The luminaires are fastened by mounting an aluminum LED profile.

Additionally, it is possible to set the backlight, which changes color and brightness using the remote control.

The most optimal color for LED illumination of the working surface is white. After all, when cooking products, they do not change color and look natural.

Kitchen lighting LED strip photo:

Dining area lighting

Large chandeliers are most often used to illuminate the dining area, but LED lamps are used as additional lighting.

Install LED lights on the ceiling, in a specially designed niche or even on a table. In this case, it is better to use LEDs with full protection against moisture.

They also use LED lamps to illuminate the kitchen, which have transparent or matte shades. Such lamps are easy to install and fasten to the wall. Depending on the size, lamps of 30, 60 or 100 cm are distinguished.

To install the lamp, you need to stick a special double-sided adhesive tape on it, and then fix the lamp with a latch and screws for fastening. Several of these lamps are used to form decorative color compositions.

Touch LED kitchen lighting is mainly used to illuminate the interior of kitchen furniture, when the door is opened or closed, such lamps start and stop working, thereby saving energy, and create convenient lighting.

Do-it-yourself LED kitchen lighting installation

Tools and materials for work:

• LED strips; with a voltage of 12 W;
• electric cable with a cross section of 0.75 mm²;
• forks;
• wiring brackets;
• soldering iron;
• transformers;
• Double-sided tape;
• insulating tape;
• LED profile;
• scissors;
• power supply 12 W;
• lighting corner.

Installation instructions:

1. Measure the required length of tape with a tape measure. Next, cut off the measured part, and expose the extreme contacts, approximately one or one and a half centimeters.

2. Solder two pieces of cable to the contacts. After that, insulate the contacts with electrical tape or heat shrink tubing.

3. On the outer side of the corner or profile, attach adhesive tape, and on the other side, fix the LED strip, after removing the protective film. A transformer must be installed near the backlight.

4. Before doing this, remove the housing from the transformer. To the transformer from the low voltage side, you need to solder the bare wires of the tape. And on the other side, attach the electrical cable and plug.

5. The surface on which the LED light is attached must be pre-cleaned and degreased with an alcohol solution or a cleaning agent.

6. A special plastic box is installed inside the cabinet, in which you need to hide the extra wires. To do this, a hole is made in the cabinet, into which the wire is pulled and fixed with the help of wiring brackets.

7. All wires are reduced to the place where the power supply will be attached, for example, to the hood.

8. Connect the wires in parallel: plus with plus, and minus with minus. All connections are connected to the power supply.

9. Install the switch and connect the power supply to it.

• when buying a tape and a power supply, make sure that the power is the same, if the power does not match, the power supply or tape will quickly fail;
• it is better to be away from connectors that are designed to quickly connect contacts, a soldering iron will help make this more reliable;
• if it is necessary to cut the tape, find the plus / minus contacts or a special designation in the form of a vertical line, only in this place it is allowed to cut the tape;
• when soldering wires, use rosin;
• a prerequisite for the performance of the tape is the isolation of the contacts from each other, if the contacts are in contact, the tape will not work;
• if you want to adjust the brightness of the backlight, you need to buy a dimmer and amplifiers that are installed with the power supply;
• it is better to buy LED backlight for the kitchen in a specialized store, choose the backlight of the middle price category, since the cheap backlight burns very dimly, and the expensive one heats up quickly;
• do not use one color LED strip for installation on the ceiling of the kitchen, as the color strips are unusual and get bored quickly, it is better to use a combination of a regular strip with a color one.