LED Lighting Is the Perfect Addition to Many Indoor and Outdoor Spaces
For many people interested in upgrading the look of their space, lighting is a reasonable first step. LED lighting is a flexible and versatile option that has become much more affordable over the years, enabling homeowners to customize their space with different colour options, dimmers, and accent lighting. LED lighting has become so accessible and versatile, in fact, that many may even be looking into how to install LED lights themselves.
Here at TCA Electric, we always recommend calling in the pros for electrical projects, both for your own safety and to ensure you get the professional appearance your home deserves. If you’re wondering how to install LED lights yourself, we’ll walk you through a few of the basics—but for complicated lighting designs, calling an expert residential electrician will be your best option!
How to Install LED Lights
To install basic LED lighting arrangements, such as strip lights or other accent lights, the procedure can be relatively simple. Let’s take a look at the steps involved.
Plan Out the Look You Want
What colours would go well in the space you’re working with? LED lights are readily available in a wide variety, enabling you to get the perfect complement to the room’s current appearance—or to completely overhaul that look and transform it into something new.
Measure Your Space
As the old adage goes: measure twice, cut once. Whether it’s strip lighting on your ceiling or accent lighting on cabinets, always measure the space you’re working with very carefully.
Cut Strips Carefully
Accent lights will likely be cut already, but strip lighting needs to be cut manually. Most products will have markings on them indicating where it’s safe to cut the lights without damaging them.
Connect Controller, Then Mount Lights
It will be much trickier to connect the controller after the lights are already in place. So, once you’ve measured and cut, connect your controller to the lights before hanging them securely in place.
Turn on and Troubleshoot
It’s important to check the functionality of your lights throughout the entire process. Test their functionality before you start cutting, after you’ve cut the lights, after you’ve connected them to the controller, and one final time once you’ve mounted them in place.
Do I need to hire an electrician?
Some basic LED lighting installations can be completed by a handy homeowner without too much trouble. For example, LED strip lights are a common decorative interior element that homeowners and even residents of apartments will install to add some life to their space.
There are good reasons to hire an electrician to do the job instead, however. First and foremost is safety. Any type of electrical project carries some risk of electrical shocks and other hazards. An electrician will be well-versed in not only safely installing LED lighting, but also ensuring the lighting is installed properly and doesn’t pose a risk of shocks or fires.
The other main reason is that electricians have a great deal of experience and training with installing LED lights. This means they can typically complete the job faster and more expertly, resulting in a full lighting array that looks great and truly elevates a space, rather than one that looks, well, like it was done DIY. Professional electricians are skilled at hiding away electrical components to maintain the sleek and modern aesthetic of your home,
TCA Electric Is Here for Your LED Lighting Needs!
Whether you’re looking to add a handful of lights to one room or several complex arrays throughout your home, the TCA Electric team is here to complete your LED lighting installation! LED lighting is one of our favourite projects to complete here at TCA, as we get to flex our interior design muscles along with our electrical skills. We’re proud of the beautiful displays we’ve installed for homeowners and businesses throughout Vancouver—and we’re ready to give your home or commercial property the perfect lighting setup, too!
If you have a vision for your home that includes gorgeous LED lighting, TCA can help bring that dream to life. Contact us to start planning your project today!