Hanging LED strip lights on your walls can not only be entertaining. But, they can also add a splash of color to your decor, and spruce up a boring room.
Learning how to hang LED strip lights without damaging walls can sometimes be a challenging task. If you do not know what kind of tape to use, it can leave residue for months. If you don’t know what amount to use, it could permanently ruin the finish on your walls.
Keep reading to discover the best tips and tricks to hang your LED lights without ruining the walls of your home.
How Do LED Strips Fix To The Wall Normally?
Usually, whenever you buy your set of LED lights, they come with their own self-adhesive tape on the back of the strips. It’s extremely easy to lift up the cover paper and just stick the lights wherever you want them. However, you want to be careful where you install the adhesive.
Do LED Strip Lights Ruin Walls?
LED strip lights are a low-cost solution for transforming your dull room into an eye-pleasing oasis. Lights can make any room in your home feel cozier and more inviting.
Strip lights are safe to hang on any wall in your home. These lights don’t harm the surfaces of your walls when they are mounted correctly.
It is vital to prevent LED strip lights from damaging your surfaces. Factors to consider before applying LED strip lights to your walls may include:
- Type of LED strip lights you will hang
- Adhesive used to install your LED strip lights
- The method used to install your LED strip lights
- The durability of your wall surfaces
Do LED Lights Peel Paint Off Walls?
Although LED lights do not usually peel the paint off your walls, it depends on the condition of your wall surfaces. In some circumstances, LED strip lights have caused the paint to peel on some surfaces.
Here are some examples to consider when deciding if LED strip lights are the right accessory for your particular surface:
- How long has the paint been on your walls or surface?
- The type of adhesive to hang the LED strip lights
- Was the surface freshly painted recently?
- What is the quality of the paint used on your walls or hanging surface?
How To Hang LED Lights Without Damaging Wall
Although hanging LED strip lights can be an excellent way to brighten any dull room in your house or office space. It is always a wise idea to ensure you hang them safely, without causing damage to your surfaces.
Hanging your LED strip lights without harming your surfaces can be done by following these five easy steps:
1. Test Your LED Strip Lights
First of all, test if your lights are in proper working condition before moving on to the next step.
There is nothing worse than hanging your LED strip lights only to discover they don’t work, and you will have to take them down again. By testing your lights out first to make sure they are in proper working condition, you can save yourself some precious time and effort in the long run.
2. Take Measurements
Measure the area where you want to hang your LED strip lights so you can hang them evenly and centered.
Hold the lights up and have someone stand back to tell you if they look centered.
Use a pencil or chalk to place a small mark on the spot you want to mount your lights before hanging them.
It’s not so easy to readjust your lights after they have been hung up. Therefore, it is always important to make certain beforehand that your LED strip lights are centered and look perfect in the spot you are going to be mounting them to their surface.
It may be necessary to cut your LED light strip to get the perfect length. Be sure to cut along the designated cut line. This is usually marked with a scissor icon across the LED strip width.
3. Clean Surfaces
LED strips stick better to clean, smooth surfaces.
First, brush any dust off the wall with a feather duster or dry cloth.
Then, using a damp cloth with mild soap, wash any grease or dirt off your walls. Mild soap works best to wash your surfaces without harming the paint. Magic erasers also work well to clean surfaces free from dirt without damaging them.
Let the surface have time to completely dry before beginning to mount your LED strip lights.
4. Remove the Adhesive Backing
Now that your walls have been measured, washed, and have had sufficient time to dry, you can begin peeling the sticker paper from your adhesive tape on your LED strip lights.
First, peel back the sticker slowly so you can place the lights in the proper mounting spot. Do not remove too much of the backing at a time. This prevents dust or hair from sticking to the backing. It is best to only remove a small amount of backing as you go.
5. Press LED Lights Onto Surface
Press the LED strip lights firmly onto your surface. Continue peeling back the sticker a little at a time until you have finished hanging your lights.
Remember to take your time when hanging your lights. Ensure they are hung evenly, in a straight line, and free from dust or hairs.
Once you are finished hanging your LED strip lights, you can now plug them in, turn them on and stand back, and admire your work. When hung properly, LED strip lights can add the finishing touch to any dull space in your home.
LED Strip Light Diffuser Channel
An LED strip light diffuser can be used to hang your LED strip lights in hard-to-reach places where you can not directly see the lights. Hard-to-reach places may include under kitchen or bathroom counters, as backsplash lighting, or under shelves in closets or bookcases.
Light diffusers minimize hot spots and diffuse light to add luminous color to dull areas in your home. They are a great option to use at night for dim lighting alternatives.
Other benefits of using light diffusers include protecting the LED strip lights from gathering dust and hair, and from preventing little people from touching them.
Two types of LED strip light diffusers include:
LED Aluminum V Channel
An affordable solution to hanging your LED strip lights is by fastening them inside the Aluminum V channel, attaching the snap-on cover, and mounting it in the location of your choice.
Aluminum V channels use the adhesive backing on the LED strips to attach them to the aluminum casing. The aluminum and adhesive form a strong bond together when mounted to a surface.
Aluminum V channels offer a professional finished look that hides the LED strips well.
LED U Channel Diffuser
Another excellent way to hang your LED strip lights is U-channel diffusers. They are u-shaped and work best for lighting small places such as shelving units, cabinets, bookcases, and staircases.
Use LED Strip Mounting Clips
Strip mounting clips are another cost-efficient way to install LED strip lights. They do not require double-sided tape to use them.
Alternatively, these tiny clips mount to your desired surface with one screw to secure them.
Mounting clips usually come in packs of 15 and can be purchased for cheap at your local hardware store.
Strip light mounting brackets are excellent for use in areas where the lights are angled downwards, such as under kitchen cupboard lighting.
This type of adhesive clip is also an excellent option for sticking LED strip lights behind TVs or monitors.
Fix With Drawing Pins
Drawing pins or thumbtacks are not recommended for mounting LED lights because they can sometimes damage the light strips.
Instead, you are encouraged to use the double-sided tape that comes with many LED light strips.
Drawing pins can be used, as long as they are inserted away from wires.
Hot Glue Gun Spots
Hot glue guns are another commonly used method by many to mount their LED strip lights onto walls and surfaces.
Hot glue does not contain any dangerous chemicals. It can be used to secure your light strips to any desired surface.
Hot glue also dries quickly and firmly adheres to the light strips, keeping them in place.
Loctite Fun Tak
Loctite Fun-Tak is a Mounting Putty used by some people to secure their LED light strips to surfaces.
A nontoxic mounting solution, Loctite Fun-Tak Mounting Putty is another excellent solution for hanging light strips without making holes in your walls or chipping the paint.
LED Strips Backed With 3M Adhesive Tape
LED light strips backed with 3M double-sided tape can make the perfect accessory to home lighting. Not only can you use them to decorate the indoors of your home. But, they offer a great source of outdoor lighting too.
Their easy design makes it effortless to enhance any living area of your home indoors or out. These lights can also enhance your home office space with a touch of soft lighting to put you in a more relaxed mood for working.
Simple to apply with their 3MM backing, LED strip lighting is a popular favorite among many. The only downfall is that sometimes they can be difficult to remove. You have a large task if you change your mind and decide to take your lights down or move them to a different spot in the house.
A handy trick to removing LED strip lights with 3MM backing is to use a heat gun or a hairdryer to heat the adhesive backing before removing your lights from your walls or surfaces. This procedure will help save your paint from being damaged during the removal process.
How To Remove LED Strips From Wall
Even though LED lights are a great way to add color to your home, sometimes they may have to be removed. Some reasons may include, re-painting your walls, moving to a new home, or redecorating your current space.
Here are three steps necessary for safely removing your LED strip lights without damaging your surfaces:
Step 1
The first thing to do is unplug your LED strip lights from the wall to prevent injury from occurring, such as getting an electrical shock. Unplugging the strip lights can also prevent damaging your lights. You can still use them again to hang in a new location.
LED strip lights have a strong adhesive backing that securely sticks them to your surfaces. If you pull them off, you will risk damaging your surfaces. Heating the adhesive backing before removal of the light strips is recommended.
Using a heat gun or a hairdryer is an easy way to soften the adhesive on your light strips before removing them.
Slowly apply heat to the light strips on a low heat setting. As the adhesive softens, you can begin to carefully pull the lights while working your way down the light strips.
As you continue to gently pull them off their surface, make sure they are coming off easily. If they seem to be sticking firmly, apply more heat before peeling them any further from their surface. If necessary, you can turn the heat setting up to medium to help melt the adhesive quicker.
Step 2
If you are still having difficulty removing the LED strip lights even after being heated, you can use a flat object to slide underneath the lights to assist in the removal process. Some useful objects that can be used to safely remove your lights without damaging your surfaces may include:
- A credit card
- Putty knife
- Butter knife
- Car scraper
Slide your object under a lifted corner of the LED light strips. Begin loosening the softened adhesive by gently moving your scraping object back and forth. Be careful not to press too hard. You do not want to damage your surfaces. Gentle pressure should work to loosen the strips without causing harm.
Continue this process when the adhesive is warm. Reheat as the adhesive starts to cool. Continue the process until you have successfully removed your LED strip lights.
Step 3
After you have safely removed your LED strip lights, a sticky residue from the adhesive tape can sometimes be left behind. This leftover adhesive will have to be cleaned off the surfaces.
A sponge with mild soap can be used to gently wash the surfaces without causing damage. Avoid using anything abrasive such as steel wool that can scratch your surfaces or ruin your paint.
You have worked so hard to safely remove your strip lights. You do not want to damage the surfaces now. Magic erasers are another option to use. They work great to remove adhesive residue without damaging surfaces.
FAQs Hang LED Strip Lights Without Damaging Wall
Here are some of the most common questions.