Floor lighting: the nuances of choice (22 photos). Floor lighting in the corridor: do-it-yourself LED strip Wall lamps for floor lighting

Modern designers to decorate the room more often began to use the floor with lighting. And this is done not only for decoration, to emphasize individual elements of the interior. , thresholds, skirting boards - an ideal solution in which light sources serve as guidelines for the comfortable movement of people in the dark.

Requirements for floor lighting sources

Before you purchase lighting equipment and proceed with installation, you need to find out the basic requirements for individual elements:

• All lighting fixtures, wiring and connectors must be highly moisture resistant. The average degree of protection for fixtures is IP65, the highest level is IP68, such structures can be installed in underwater pools. These requirements are especially important when floor lighting is done in the corridor, bathroom and other rooms with high humidity.
• Luminaire housings must be not only hermetic, but also durable, resistant to mechanical shocks.
• To illuminate the floor in the apartment, you should not choose very powerful lamps so that they do not blind your eyes.
• Luminaires for backlighting are selected so that the lighting is bright enough and consumes a minimum amount of electricity.
• Lamps with minimal heat, LED light sources are ideal for this case.

Types of lighting fixtures

Conventional incandescent lamps with standard E27 or E14 cartridges are inconvenient to mount in floors, these designs completely contradict the listed requirements. They are subject to mechanical stress, consume a lot of electricity and get very hot. Therefore, more modern light sources are used:

• Spotlights with halogen or LED lamps have a very durable sealed housing, installed in pre-prepared holes.

They consume little electricity and are durable. Among the shortcomings, one can single out the high cost and the fact that designs with halogen lamps must be inserted carefully, without touching the glass bulb with your fingers. The slightest contamination of the glass of the lamp leads to an increase in the heating temperature at this point and the destruction of the glass surface.

• LED strips- one of the easiest options in terms of installation. Self-adhesive tape sticks to almost any surface: wood tiles, plastic skirting boards and walls.

LED floor lighting is considered the most economical in terms of energy consumption and fireproof, as it almost does not heat up.

• Duralight- in fact, the same tape, only here the chain of diodes is filled with a solidifying hermetic silicone mass, transparent PVC.

The design of the tube is very moisture resistant and resistant to mechanical stress, flexible, easy to fit around the perimeter of the room as floor lighting. The duralight tube is placed under a transparent matte finish, in the cable channels of skirting boards that let in light, or open above the skirting boards.

• Finished light floor blocks(LED-based) - they are sealed and shock resistant. Light modules can be of different shapes and sizes, they are laid like tiles, it is not recommended to use for a city apartment.

They fit very well into the interior of rooms with a large area, on dance floors and in concert halls. It is possible to connect to remote control and programming equipment. On large areas, installation is carried out by professionals.

• - made on the basis of fragile glass or plastic tubes. Before mounting them in the floor, additional measures for protection against mechanical impact will be required. Due to the high price and fragile material, they are rarely used to illuminate the corridor, dance floors, in rooms where there is a high probability of mechanical damage.

Recently, flexible neon tubes similar to duralight have appeared, the difference is that they do not have LEDs. The neon lamp glow technology is taken as a basis - a sealed tube is filled with gas.

Practice shows that light sources based on LED technology are most in demand for floor illumination. This is due to many reasons:

• available and inexpensive material;
• simple installation technologies;
• long service life - 50,000 hours;
• the most economical mode of energy consumption.

Consider a couple of options for installing these fixtures in the floor covering.

The sequence of installation of spotlights

Typically, spotlights are mounted in the corners or perimeter of the room, in the vertical surface of the steps. This arrangement emphasizes the contours of the room and successfully illuminates all objects, creating comfortable conditions for movement. It is very convenient to use a switching circuit with a motion sensor, this reduces energy costs. Considering all the requirements listed above, buy fixtures that suit your interior, decide where the backlight network will be powered from, where the switch will be and how many wires will be needed. After that, you can start installation work:

• Wiring is laid before the flooring is installed: boards, plywood, chipboard, laminate, tiles or other elements.
• In wooden coverings, wires are placed between the lags, and bends are made at the installation sites of the fixtures. Count them so that they go 10-15 cm outside the front cover for easy connection of the ceiling.
• As the installation progresses, holes of the required diameter are cut at the locations of the fixtures.
• For ceramic tiles, it is recommended to lay the wires before pouring the concrete screed, making bends. In the places where the lamps are connected, install plastic or metal landing capsules for ceiling lamps, insert the ends of the wires into them. After that, you can pour the concrete solution of the screed. The capsule assembly with the ceiling should protrude above the screed to the distance required for laying the tiles.

Then the front plane of the floor and the lantern will be on the same level. This technology saves you from drilling holes in the concrete screed with a special cylindrical hole saw with diamond tips.

• All contact connections of the wires are hermetically insulated with silicone or heat shrink tubing.

• After installing the wiring and laying the floor covering, spotlights are connected to the ends of the output taps and fixed to the floor.

Installation of LED strip around the perimeter

For this case, self-adhesive tape is best suited, it can be attached to the skirting boards or above them. When choosing materials, it must be taken into account that manufacturers make 5 m tapes with different diodes and power consumption. It is not recommended to connect more than two tapes to one power supply. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully calculate the length of the perimeter, the number of tapes and power supplies of the appropriate power. For a perimeter of 20 m, you will need 4 tapes and 2 power supplies; the number, brand of diodes and the power consumed by the tape are indicated on the label. LED strips are classified according to many criteria:

• brand of LEDs;
• color - there are single-color with one crystal or color with 4 crystals: white, blue, red, green (RGB). Tapes with multicolor diodes can be connected to the program control unit by setting the time parameters for changing the brightness and color gamut;
• supply voltage, can be 12, 24 or 36 V;
• by the number and size of diodes;
• and other signs.

At home, outdoor night lighting is often powered by a 12 V unit. SMD 5050 tapes with 5 mm diodes 30 pcs/m create a moderate level of illumination.

Calculation of the required power supply power

A 5 m long SMD 5050 tape containing 30 diodes/1 m consumes 7.2 W/1 m;

7.2 W x 5 m = 36 W. Two tapes consume 72 watts, which means you need a slightly larger power supply, a safety factor of 1.25 x 72 watts = 90 watts. For a 20-meter perimeter, you need 2 such blocks and four tapes.

Mounting sequence

• The protective film is removed from the tape, the diodes are glued along the plinth or above it.

• It is recommended to use plastic baseboards with cable channels where the wires are hidden.
• The power supply and control unit can be placed under the floor covering.
• The switch and program control panel are installed on the wall, the remote control is not tied to a specific place.

Simple, reliable and economical. Do not forget that the lighting tape for the floor must be with a degree of moisture protection IP65 or IP68, insulate the wire junctions with sealant or heat shrink tubing. Then the assembled system will work for a long time, creating cozy night lighting in the apartment and ensuring safety when moving in the dark.

Before we look at the most interesting floor lighting ideas in an apartment, we need to talk about what requirements should be followed.

So, the main requirements for floor lighting are:

1. must be qualitatively protected from moisture, tk. when wet cleaning, there is a high probability that water will get inside the products. It is best to purchase sealed fixtures with an IP 67 degree of protection. Otherwise, take care of high-quality sealing yourself.
2. The housing of the backlight elements must be protected from mechanical damage. Most lamps have a fragile base, so care must be taken not to accidentally break it.
3. The light from the products should not dazzle the eyes. Most often, hidden floor lighting in an apartment and house is used so that at night you can easily navigate the room with the lights off. If the light sources are bright, there will be no question of any comfort.
4. Don't forget about. Give preference to energy-saving LED lamps.
5. The material of the devices must be fireproof. Some light sources can heat up and melt the baseboard, which can cause it to self-ignite as a result.

Basic lighting options

We bring to your attention an overview of the most popular options for floor lighting in an apartment and a house.

Spotlights

The most simple and popular is the floor. They are installed in specially created holes in floor tiles and laminate. Most often used installation around the perimeter of the room. The advantage of spot lighting is that the body of the lamps is sealed and shock-resistant, in addition, the energy consumption of the bulbs is minimal, and the service life is long.

Based on the moisture resistant properties, it should be noted that most often this option is used when creating. In addition, LEDs have proven themselves well for illuminating the floor in the bedroom and hallway, because. allow you to create a decorative environment.

neon lamps

A more classic version of hidden lighting is the use of neon lamps. They beautifully "flood" the floor and also have a soft luminous flux. The complete set consists of wires, lamps and special converters. All elements must be hidden in a special niche fixed along the contour of the room.

The advantages of this method are the long service life of the lamps (over 10 years) and a wide range of lighting shades (over 100). The main disadvantages are the fragility of the flasks and the high cost of production. It should also be noted that the installation of neon lamps on the floor requires the mandatory assistance of a specialist, whose work will also have to be spent.

LED strips

The kit includes the tape itself and the power supply unit (PSU), which is individually selected based on the length of the entire luminous line and the number of LEDs. As in the case of neon lamps, the LED strip along with the PSU must be hidden in a specially prepared niche (for example, a polyurethane cornice).

By the way, instead of a cornice, you can also use a skirting board with a cable channel. In this case, the tape fits into the channel and thus illuminates the room along its perimeter, as shown in the photo above.

Another alternative to neon lamp and LED strip is duralight. This product is a transparent PVC tube, in which small LEDs are installed at the same distance from each other. Duralight also has many color solutions that will give the interior of the apartment a soft, but high-quality floor lighting.

The design provides for an electrical plug that is plugged into an outlet in order for the product to light up. Be sure to choose a two-wire duralight, because. three-wire has a complicated connection scheme, which only the master can do. We talked about that in a separate article.

Something between an LED strip and a neon lamp is flexible neon. Its design is represented by a PVC cord in which diodes are installed. The only difference is that the bulbs emit neon light(!). The advantage over a neon lamp is that the flexible cord does not have to be routed along a straight path (as is the case with a lamp). In addition, neon floor lighting in the apartment can be easily installed with your own hands.

Manufacturers give a guarantee for continuous operation of the tape for 100,000 hours, but this figure can significantly decrease if used and installed improperly.

light floor

This idea is a bright LED modules that can be installed not only around the perimeter, but throughout the entire area of ​​the room. In the interior of an apartment and a house, this lighting option is rarely used, but still it is no exception.

The advantage of a light floor lies in its high mechanical and waterproofing properties, so this lighting option is most often used in nightclubs and other public institutions where special attention is paid to the interior. As you can see, bulk squares can make a certain light composition in the form of a chessboard or a rectangular track, which will look very original in the corridor.

Finally, I would like to pay a little of your attention to some tips that will allow you to choose and make the right lighting for the floor in the apartment:

1. Choose modern devices that have dimmers (one of them). These devices allow you to adjust the intensity of light, which allows you not only to save on electricity, but also to create a certain atmosphere in the room.
   
2. Together with the floor lighting at the bottom of the wall, organize the hidden. In this case, you can install the LED strip under the handrails or on the steps (as shown in the picture). Remember that the stairs are less safe to travel at night, so pay more attention to them.
3. An alternative to installing special cornices can be the installation of a tape under the front of the furniture or inside the floor covering, if you choose a transparent tile made of high-strength glass (examples in the pictures).

   
   
   

4. Remember that to install the backlight, the floor must be perfectly flat, otherwise all the curvature of the surface will immediately be displayed when the lamp is turned on.
5. To create a bright light, use cords and ribbons of small diameter, but high power. To create more diffused lighting, use products with a larger diameter.
6. During installation work, be sure to follow the connection diagram. If the contacts are not connected correctly, the device may immediately fail when turned on. The fact that during electrical installation it is necessary to turn off the electricity in the apartment, I think, is not worth talking about.
7. All LED strips and flexible neons have special places for shortening the line, familiarize yourself with them before proceeding with cutting the desired length. About that, we talked about in the corresponding article.
   
8. Give preference to only quality products. Cheap Chinese products of dubious quality are not only a short-term pleasure, but also most often the cause of a fire.

Lighting in the apartment creates not only comfort, but also that unique atmosphere that is conducive to relaxation after a hard day. It helps to emphasize the beauty and features of the interior and hide its flaws. A well-chosen lighting is necessary for human health. One of these types of lighting, which helps to maintain human health, is the night lighting of the apartment.

Comfortable night illumination of the corridor

Types of lighting in the apartment:

• General;
• Accent;
• Working;
• Night.

General lighting is a source of light that illuminates the entire room. It is done in any room: a chandelier is hung in the center of the ceiling. General lighting is mixed, diffused and directional. Mixed lighting - the use of chandeliers with lampshades that have holes at the top or bottom. Such lampshades are made of materials that transmit light, which allows light to penetrate through the lampshade in all directions and wring out from the walls and ceiling. Diffused lighting is obtained from plafonds made of frosted glass, paper or fabric, which completely cover the light source.

Directional lighting - light that is created using a lamp with a lampshade with holes at the top and bottom.

Accent lighting (decorative) is used to draw attention to certain elements of the interior or parts of the room: paintings, niches, shelves, moldings. For this, floor lamps, sconces and lighting are used. The function of this type of lighting is to create comfort and decorate the apartment.

Working lighting helps a person not to strain his eyes when performing any action. Such light is used above work surfaces in the kitchen, at the sofa or armchairs in the living room, at the desk. Light sources here are table lamps, sconces, built-in lamps.

Night lighting is an optional, but very convenient type of lighting that allows you to ensure safe movement around the apartment at night. A variant of such lighting can be ceiling lighting around the perimeter of a room or corridor, a luminous LED track on the floor of the hallway or on the wall, night lamps in the nursery.

Illumination of the corridor is necessary, first of all, in those apartments where families with children live. The child will not be afraid to get up at night and go to the toilet on his own, and parents may not worry that in the dark he will hit something and injure himself.

For night illumination of the corridor use:

• Lamps with motion sensor;
• Luminous plinth;
• LED luminaires built into walls or floors;
• Switches with illuminated frame or buttons;
• Luminous floor modules;

Lamps with a motion sensor are also called twilight switches. Such a lamp is a device that automatically responds to the movement of an object. It is triggered when a person enters the room and "turns on" the light. Such devices are simple and easy to install, comfortable, functional and help save electricity well. Motion sensors are usually installed at a level of 20-25 cm from the floor. The glow time of the device and the sensitivity of the sensor are adjustable.

Illuminated switches differ from conventional ones only in that they have backlight indicators that help you find their location in complete darkness.

The nuances of floor lighting

Floor lighting is a non-standard solution, but recently it has become more often used in the corridor, in the toilet and in the bathroom (where there are tiles).

In order for floor lighting to be effective, consider the following:

• The luminaires to be installed must be selected taking into account their water and dust resistance;
• The elements of the backlight housing must be well protected;
• Efficiency of light bulbs;
• Safety of light bulbs and lighting elements;
• The brightness of the light from the bulbs (the luminous flux should not blind).

Types of floor lighting: spotlights, neon lamps, LED strip, LED duralight, light floor, luminous baseboard.

Do I need a luminous baseboard

Luminous plinth performs both practical and decorative functions. A practical function is the creation of additional evening or night lighting, a decorative function is the creation of a special atmosphere in the room.

Peculiarities:

1. A luminous skirting board is made using LED backlighting.
2. The small light bulbs that make up it are extremely bright, durable, do not heat up, economical and safe, they can be installed in any place.
3. To organize a luminous baseboard, illuminated floor strips are produced.

Both solid light strips and spot lamps of various colors can be mounted in them. If desired, such a plinth can be made by yourself by laying a light strip in the cable channel of special plinths.

Neon floor lighting is one of the options for both evening and night lighting of the apartment. Installing such a backlight is not difficult; anyone who understands electrical installation can do it.

It is important to know:

1. It is problematic to install traditional neon lamps on your own, and a specialist call is required, so it is recommended to purchase flexible neon. This is the middle option between lamps and LED strips.
2. Flexible neon is a PVC tape in which diodes emitting neon color are installed. It is not necessary to install such a tape around the perimeter of the room, adhering to straight lines.
3. Flexible neon can be installed in the self-leveling floors of the house, in the walls and dance floor of a nightclub, and hidden in the plinth, it takes various forms and lasts at least 100,000 hours.

To independently connect flexible neon, you will need a power cable with an adapter, a coupling, a connector, and a heat shrink tube. Clean the wire from the transparent sheath, clean the wires that appear to a copper sheen, solder the wires to connect to the neon wires and cover them with heat shrink, screw the wires coming from the neon to the wires of the inverter, connect the inverter to a 12 V power source. The neon light is ready, it remains to choose a place its placement and the shape you want to give it.

Night lighting device in the apartment (video)

Each type of night lighting, including floor lighting, has its own characteristics. It should be selected taking into account not only the dimensions of the room, but also its practicality and functionality. Night lighting, including for the dance floor, which you can do yourself if you wish, allows you to move around the apartment at night comfortably and safely, which is especially important for young children and the elderly.

Before deciding how to design the floor lighting in a particular embodiment, you should understand what general requirements for lamps, their elements and light characteristics are appropriate in this case.

The floor is a place that poses many dangers for luminaires and puts forward special requirements for the characteristics of light emission. In particular:

The level of moisture and dust resistance of luminaires mounted on the floor must be high. The fact is that the floor often has to be washed, so the likelihood of water getting into the body of the fixtures is very high.

Dust also accumulates on the floor, endangering the electrical parts of the lighting fixture.

The luminaire must have a strong body. This is for the case when the device is touched by feet or some heavy object. The lamp must be well protected from shock.

The light should not be too bright. Otherwise, residents will feel uncomfortable. Enough of a level of illumination at which you can freely navigate in a dark room.

Luminaires should be economical. Energy-saving technologies will help save the owner's money.

Fire safety. The luminaire must not heat the baseboard or the floor, as this may result in self-ignition.

Basic devices for floor lighting

As evidenced by the photos of floor lighting, a variety of lamps, both modern and traditional, are used for this purpose.

LED point devices

It is convenient to install spotlights, since it will not be difficult for them to drill a corresponding niche in a laminate or even in a tree.

They are shock-resistant, emit a pleasant directional light, while consuming a minimum amount of electricity.

In the bathroom, it is difficult to find a replacement for spotlights, and in all other rooms they look appropriate. LEDs consume a small amount of electricity and last a long time.

Note! Illumination for indoor flowers - how to organize the right light? 80 photos of fresh solutions!

Traditional neon lamp

A neon lamp is a device that has long been known. It emits soft light, creating the effect of filling the space. Naturally, a lamp is not only a lamp, but also converters, wires, and so on. For them, you need to make special niches.

The neon lamp lasts for a long time, guaranteeing about a hundred shades of light.

But it is quite expensive and mechanically unstable. In addition, it is difficult to install such a lamp on your own; you will have to pay for the work of a specialist.

LED strips

LED strip is good because it can be mounted anywhere, choose the required length, colors and other characteristics. Such a tape does not overheat, has a long service life, and has low power consumption. It is easy to install it yourself. If you use a controller, you can create alternating digital compositions.

Of some of the disadvantages: the tape requires a separate power supply, which must be hidden somewhere.

Duralight LED

LEDs are placed in a PVC tube in a certain order. Such a device is called LED duralight, one of its purposes is modern floor lighting.

Duralight in originality and some other characteristics can compete with spotlights and LED strip. Connecting the device does not require special knowledge and skills.

neon flexible

Flexible neon is a flexible translucent PVC tube containing LEDs. The word "neon" in the name is used because the device emits light that is close in appearance to neon.

The obvious advantage is laying flexible neon in any configuration. Manufacturers claim that they guarantee the operation of their product without breakage for one hundred thousand hours.

LED floor

The idea to create a lamp in the form of a floor element is reasonable, but has not yet gained enough popularity. But in vain, such devices allow you to literally work wonders in terms of design.

Below are a few tips to help you organize floor lighting at a high level.

The use of dimmer switches will allow you to adjust the intensity of the light. This is a great way to create a cozy atmosphere.

Illumination of the stairs (if any) must be done. And not only for decorative purposes, but also for security purposes.

Do not install the backlight on an uneven floor. In this case, it will be difficult to achieve the required glow.

Bright lighting is created by ribbons and cords of small size, but high power. If diffused light is needed, wide low-power cords and ribbons will do.

The LED strip should not be cut off anywhere. It has a special factory markup for this purpose.

Photo floor lighting ideas