Decorating a room with different led light strips is one kind of wish for everyone. It is not exceptional because somewhere, decorating with a led strip always comes to mind. But thinking of doing so makes it a lot easier than doing practically. Connectors are the trouble where all the problems gather. To hide led light connectors, managing the cables is the start.
Do not lose hope for this trouble, do you? No need to worry because managing the connectors has now become easy. It is due to some new manufacturing trays, available in any hardware store. Connectors are the points where a large number of led light strips communicate. The whole strip follows a continuous pattern.
But installing them in the room needs some basic guidelines. With my experience, I will share some ways, information, and hints whose details are presented in this article.
9 Ways To Hide Led Light Connectors To Eliminate The Danger
The led light strips have two metals that are good conductors of electricity. Its body element carries 88% aluminum and 8.5% copper. So, hiding all connectors with the strip is necessary. Following are the ways to eliminate this danger.
Way 1: Using Plastic Wire Nails
Most people use wire nails in managing the wires of led light strips. The material in manufacturing the body is plastic. The manufacturer made it look simple and versatile. One side of it carries the pin that goes in the hole of walls or cabinets.
The design on the other side is a hook where all the connecting wires stay. It holds the wire. Do not worry about the size because it comes in different shapes.
Following are the steps of installing and hiding the connectors:
Step 1: Select The Desired Wire Nails
Always tell the shopkeeper of the hardware store about the wire gauge. He will provide the wire nails that shape those wire gauges. It removes the difficulty of screwing the pins inside the holes.
Step 2: Mark The Position Of The Holes
Before holding the wire along with the wire nails, it is better to mark all the positions of the holes. Pinpointing both walls and cabinets with a dark pencil makes the work easy. Drill deeper to make a proper hole for the nails.
Step 3: Hide The Connectors
Insert a few wire nails behind the cabinet or on the top corner of the ceiling. For the led light connectors, hide or put them on any edge of a particular surface.
Way 2: The Traditional Wire Tray
The Ac wires that take quite a large area can easily fit in the wire tray. This type of wire suits the cover plate. Place them on the side of the upper ceiling and hide all the connectors in them.
Inside, it covers a large area that looks bulky from the outside. The tray itself is a few feet wide. After inserting the connectors, there will still be spaces visible inside them.
Way 3: Plastic Of Mold
The best way to hide the connectors is inside a molding tray. Plastic trays are better than wooden ones. The molding plastics come in different shapes and are easy to trim.
Use razor blades to shape according to the size of the wire gauge. These trays have corner mold. Hide the connectors at its edge site. Below are the steps in installing it:
Step 1: Trimming At The Exact Position
After purchasing the molding tray, carefully cut the edge of its corner. Then, trim the back side properly for the connectors to pass easily through it.
Step 2: Creating Holes
Before putting the trays in the desired position, make small holes so that you can identify the specific connectors through them.
Way 4: Use Of Panel End Cap
The panel trays are plastic caps that look like flat boards. Manufacture those to fit them into the ceilings or cabinets. Purchase those from the hardware store.
For attaching them to the surface, use double-sided foam. It comes in two sizes. One is large, and the other one is half an inch. Installing it for hiding the connectors is shown below:
Step 1: Applying The Foam
After buying the panel end cap, apply the foam on the flat surface of it. Then, trim side-wise of the larger one. Lastly, cut the tap until it reaches the end of the panel.
Step 2: Sizing The Panel
Cut the panels according to the ceiling length and trim the edge according to the corner. For the cabinets, attach those inside them.
Step 3: Attaching The Panel
Peel off the cover of the tap until the panel fits the marked position and keep pressure on it for some time. After some time, it will completely attach to the surface of that location.
Step 4: Placing The Wires
Put one end of an edge of the wire inside the gap of the cap. Then reel the rest using a screwdriver, which allows the rest of the wires to insert gently.
Way 5: With The Glue Gun
If you want the wires directly connected to the surface with extra trays or caps, a glue gun is the easiest way to do it. Hold the wire from the beginning edge and start putting glues from the glue gun.
Hold until the glue cools down. Some of the hiding places of the connectors are inside the cabinet, the bottom of the bed, the high ceiling, or behind the mirror.
Way 6: Placing With Hizze Plates
The hizze plates fit the wire easily because of their different varieties. Any shapes for the led light connectors are available in the market. There are two types of it: one is the clip, and the other is the zip tie system.
Way 7: Turner Block
When you want to hide the connectors inside the cabinet, place a turner block in each corner. The turner block acts as a switch that operates the glow of all led light stripes.
It terminates all the wires and makes communication with each connector. After powering the infrastructure, the led stripes behind the hidden places will glow.
Way 8: Lip Of Drop Ceilings
Hide the wires with the connectors by placing them horizontally in the upper corner of the ceiling and drop the strips downward. Place the connectors on each edge of every corner and cover them with plastic trays.
The strips will give brightness with the help of a drop ceiling lip. It will provide the required luminance.
Way 9: Using Cable Hider
Cable hiders are common usage by the customer and are quick in managing the cables and hiding the connectors. Make sure to use it inside the cabinet or behind the household utensils for placing the connectors in those positions.
So, following the above ways will help you perform the wire management and hide the connectors. Make sure to choose the invisible area of the house or room for placing the connectors on these holders.
Reasons Why You Should Hide Led Light Connectors
Connectors are the open part where all the led light strips connect for a balanced flow of rays. Installing them in immobile positions or a place for only primary use is mandatory(1) to prevent danger. Below are the other reasons.
- Avoiding Shock Risk
The human body is a natural conductor of the current, and the earth is our universal ground. So, the current source will continuously flow through our body, which leaves no parts safe.
The connectors follow the same theory. While switching the lights open, a large amount of current will flow through it. So, to eliminate this danger, you must hide the connectors.
- Makes Attractive
Wires and connectors in open space look bulky and dull. It removes the gorgeous outlook and destroys the origin of led light stripes. The connectors are a mixture of red and black copper wire covered with tape.
Matching the designed light stripes is not imaginable at all. So, to keep the room attractive, hide the connectors and place the position in an invisible place.
- Professionalism
An engineer designs a house like a professional, where they hide all the unnecessary and dangerous components behind the ceilings or any wall box. Most of the furnished house keeps light stripes behind a glass frame meshed with the walls.
The distance between each of the strips should be a minimum of 2 inches. Glass frames are available in different shapes and are placed according to the positions of the wall. To give a professional look, hide the connecting wires of those led light strips.
5 Tips For Managing And Hiding Led Lights Connectors And Cables
Beginners make some common mistakes in managing the connecting wires and cables. So, to avoid those mistakes and hide wires, the following tips can come in handy:
Tip 1: Proper Holes
Most trays need holes to insert the screws for attaching them to the opposite surface. The mistake that everyone makes is to drill holes placing the plates over the surface.
It may damage the panel. It is better to mark those holes with a dark pencil and perform drilling after that. Dig holes according to the measurement of the panel pins.
Tip 2: Choose Plastic Trays
Wooden trays are hard to drill and heavy to manage while drilling or inserting wires. Moreover, it goes only by the side of any cabinets rather than the free surface.
But adjusting the plastic panels or trays on any surface through matching paint looks perfect. Manufacturing those with cable management provides less effort.
Tip 3: Avoid Bulky Plates
Some panels, like traditional wire trays, waste a large area on ceilings or cabinets. It looks dull and showcases a bad look to the surroundings. So, choose the cover that covers the required space for the cables and the connecting wires.
It is unnecessary to use bulky plates. It keeps the rest of the inner area empty with some wire hanging.
Tip 4: Deal Over Plates Before Placing Wires
Some clips or cover panels require screws for the attachment on the surface. Make sure to drill the holes for those screws before placing the cables inside them.
It will prevent the wire and the connector from getting damaged. For double-sided foam, deal with the wire after attaching the panel end cap.
Tip 5: Trim The Edges According To The Measurement
Placing the connectors at the edge requires proper measurement of the panel cap or molding plastic. Most of the corner walls have hard bending sides. Trim those edges in such a way that the connectors can pass through the holes of the molding plastic.
Related Questions:
Should Led Strips Be Hidden?
Led light strips should be hidden because they do not scatter the light rays like the LED bulb. The strips are a combination of small led bulbs that carry different colors.
If these are visible around the room, it will be no different than the led bulbs. So, to observe the brightness in a shaded form, you should hide the led strips.
How Do You Hide Led Strip Light Wire?
Hide the Led Strip Light Wire behind the lip of ceilings, inside the cabinets, back side of any furniture, on the bottom of the bed, etc., invisible positions. Placing the led strips horizontally in the corner of the top ceiling is not a big issue but hides the wires to avoid a dull look. Place covers over the wire and color the panel according to the wall’s paint.
What Can You Use To Hide Your Led Strip Lights Connectors And Wires?
There are panels to hide the Led Strip Lights Connectors and Wires, including panel end cap, traditional wire tray, turner block, plastic moldings, etc. It does not look good when the wire management system is visible in the open space.
And keeping the connectors hanging on the wall or placed in the corner of the floor is very dangerous. So, we should use the plates to hide the wires and the connectors.
How Do You Hide Led Wires On A Wall?
The best way to hide the Led Wires on a wall is to use a panel end cap that covers the total length. For the connectors, use panels of size according to the required measurement.
Place the panel vertically on the side wall and give pressure for the tape to stick as hard as glue. Then push wires through the gaps of those panels to hide them.
How Do You Hide Led Strip Lights On Stairs?
The supporting holding rod for the stairs is the best place to hide the led strip lights through professional management. Place the strips beneath the upper rod in a twisted way like a snake. The light will hit the rods and provide shadow reflections all over the stairs.
How Do You Hide Led Strip Connectors On The Ceiling?
The best way to hide led strip connectors on the ceiling is to use a drop ceiling lip that covers all the wires. It makes the outer look neat and clean. Place the wire horizontally to use a lip on the ceiling.
Keep the position of the connectors at each corner of the drop ceiling and place a small trimmed plate over it.
Final Verdict:
To hide the led light connectors, follow the above ways to become a professional. A beginner will find it difficult for the first time to conduct. Decide the hidden position before arranging the strips in the room. Do not keep the connectors in open space at any cost.
Use the tips as a hint for better performance in setting the light strips. I hope this article will be understandable for everyone to do the cable management process.
References
CPC Definition – F21S NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SP… (n.d.). USPTO. Retrieved August 2, 2022, from https://www.uspto.gov/web/patents/classification/cpc/html/defF21S.html
Vinhal, Pacheco, Oliveira, Espinosa, J. G. R. D. T. B. P. d. C. R. (n.d.). Copper Recovery Assessment from Tubular Led Lamp Strips. Developing Tomorrow’s Technical Cycles, 1. 10.1007/978-3-030-92563-5_71
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