How to additionally and correctly illuminate the floors in the corridor?

The corridor in any apartment or house is an integral part of the room. Since this is where apartment guests begin to form an opinion about the owner, many strive to make this room not only practical and functional, but also beautiful. A great way to add some flair to your hallway is to add floor lighting.

But in order to do everything right, you need to know certain nuances, which our article will tell you about.

Madam hallway

It is always problematic to make repairs in the corridor, since this room often has non-standard dimensions and is often “broken” by small passages. The hallway is characterized by the following aspects, which to a certain extent may complicate the creation of lighting:

Corridor option

• small dimensions;
• wrong proportions. in the corridor you can often find various niches for built-in cabinets, bends and other architectural nuances necessary for moving between rooms;
• narrowness of space. Since the hallway is not intended for people to stay in it for a long time, but only for their more or less comfortable movement around the apartment, its width can often only accommodate one person of average build;
• problematic design of lighting.

Note! It is especially problematic to provide high-quality lighting in a long and narrow hallway. Here, high wardrobes can provide adequate lighting.

Therefore, before you begin selecting lighting fixtures for this room, you need to carefully think through and weigh everything. And for this you need to know what kind of lighting should be present in the corridor to create the necessary level of lighting in it. This is especially true when you decide to highlight the floor.

Connection diagram for work area lighting in the kitchen

To power an LED strip in the kitchen, professionals recommend choosing sealed units with a protection level of IP65-67, and not those with through holes in the housing.

Although, if you place it at the very top of the cabinets, and not inside next to the dishes or hood, then there is not much difference.

True, be prepared for the fact that such a perforated thing will suck in dust, be healthy.

And this will definitely affect its performance.

When placing in a closet, secure all units to the wall, as far as possible from foreign objects.

The power must be selected based on the connected length of the LED strip and its brand. There is a universal calculation formula.

The power supply is supplied with phase and neutral from the general 220V network.

You can take them from the nearest junction box, hiding the wires in the cable channel.

Or, as an option, use the top socket from which the kitchen hood is connected.

Just insert a tee there and a plug into the block.

As a last resort, if you have nowhere to get 220V, and you don’t want to spoil the walls with ugly cable channels, you can try to power the entire backlight from a block of 18650 batteries.

True, the LED strip in this case should be short and of minimal power.

Next, a voltage of 12 or 24V must be supplied to the unit from the infrared sensor. Here on these terminals.

Since this is your “wet zone,” it is better to choose an infrared sensor that works on the principle of a wave of the hand at a low voltage of 12V rather than 220V.

More details

However, most still use models for standard mains voltage. They are more powerful and more common.

More details

In addition, by mounting them in front of the LED strip power supply, you will thereby turn on this unit only for a certain time. That is, it will not work for you and is under voltage 24 hours a day.

Rules for the hallway

Floor lighting is a rather non-standard solution, but in recent years it has increasingly begun to be used in the corridor. This is due to many nuances of this room, as well as the features of its architecture. To ensure your floor lighting is effective, the following aspects need to be considered:

• lamps that will be used here as lighting must be reliably protected from dust and moisture. In the hallway, especially in autumn, winter and spring, puddles of dirt may appear, flowing from seasonal shoes. If moisture gets on the lamps, they may begin to work incorrectly or even lead to a short circuit. In addition, wet cleaning, often carried out in the hallway, can also lead to the troubles described above. By the way, summer dust from shoes, although it does not have such a catastrophic effect on lighting fixtures, can also negatively affect their operation.;
• The housing lighting elements must have special mechanical protection. Especially if the distance from the floor to the lighting fixtures is not large;

Protection of lamps

• efficiency of light bulbs. Today in the world there are trends towards rational saving and recycling of household items in a new role (the same hand-made, for example). Therefore, many people prefer modern light bulbs, which can significantly reduce energy consumption without loss of light characteristics;

Note! At the moment, LED lamps and luminaires are the most popular. They are the most economical because they consume the least amount of electricity. Their installation will save approximately 80% compared to a conventional incandescent light bulb.

• Another important parameter for choosing lighting fixtures is their fire hazard. Lamps must be made of non-flammable materials, and when exposed to open fire, they must not emit toxic and dangerous compounds into the air;
• the luminous flux that the lamps form should not blind the eyes. It is better to choose warm shades close to sunny yellow. It is this color spectrum that is most optimal for our eyes and closest to natural light.

Also, quite often, lamps in the corridor at floor level or slightly higher are used to create night lighting for the room. In such a situation, the light emitted by lighting fixtures should be soft and subdued.

Installation instructions

To install floor lighting yourself, it is recommended to use LEDs. They are the easiest to work with. Install the diodes immediately before laying the tiles. If the tiles have already been laid, there is another option - install lighting along the seams of the tiles. To do this, you will have to clean the seams from the mortar.

The work is performed in this order:

1. Purchase LED lights that are originally designed for floor installation. A distinctive feature of such diodes is the presence of ready-made cross-shaped stands, thanks to which they are firmly fixed between the tiles. Such diodes are not cheap, but this is their only drawback. If you wish, you can save money by buying standard LEDs and connecting them together with wires. You will also need to treat all conductors with silicone to make them moisture resistant.
2. Connect the conductors and seal them using heat shrink.
3. Do not leave the power supply outside; it is better to hide the wires under the baseboards.
4. Test that the backlight is working correctly.
5. If everything is in order, embed the conductors in glue and let it dry.
6. Check the system again for functionality. If the backlight is functioning normally, sand the seams using a fugue. Remove any remaining glue with a flat sponge.

A little about saving

Motion Sensor

If you want to minimize energy losses in your home, then to illuminate the floor in the hallway you need to use lighting fixtures with a motion sensor built into it.

The peculiarity of this kind of products is that they are activated and turn on the light only if there is movement of an object in the room. In this case, the motion sensor can be configured so that it does not react to pets (cats, dogs, etc.). As a result of the settings, you can improve the ergonomic parameters of the device, eliminating its activation when registering an object of low mass or in the presence of slight movement. Installing such a sensor will give you the following benefits:

• automation of lighting switching. In such a situation, you no longer need to fumble around the wall in search of the switch. This will save your renovation much longer, and will also make moving around the house more comfortable;
• minimizing energy losses. Since the light will automatically turn on and off only when there is or is no movement, you simply will not forget to leave it on.

Today, sensors that respond to movement in a given area can be of the following types:

• infrared;
• microwave;
• sound;
• combined.

Types of sensors

Infrared motion sensors are the most popular in the home today. They give the minimum number of false inclusions, and are also relatively affordable. In turn, combined models can completely eliminate the risk of incorrect operation due to the presence of two diverse sensors in their composition, but they are much more expensive. The remaining types are most often used outdoors, although they can also be found indoors.

Bathroom lighting

This room is certainly not particularly spacious. That is why the right solution would be not only to use finishing materials in light colors, but also to fill it with a sufficient amount of light. It is important to choose the right light temperature. Cool white is not suitable for these purposes. Only neutral or, as a last resort, warm spectrum. So, where is it appropriate to use tape:

1. Of course, gluing tape to the mirror will be not only beautiful, but also rational. It’s not for nothing that mirrors with built-in LED lighting are sold. Their cost is sometimes simply unjustified, so it is much more economical to use our idea. The tape can be placed both around the perimeter and only on the side or on the top and bottom edges. In any case, it will be convenient for you to apply makeup and perform other procedures;

2. The bathtub lighting around the perimeter of the floor looks very interesting. Such a soft glow will be comfortable for the eyes even at night and will slightly expand the space;

3. The same can be said about lighting the ceiling in the bathroom;
4. Recently, it has become very popular to use lighting for various plumbing fixtures. And we are talking not only about illuminating the bathroom, which is located on the protective screen, but also about illuminating the sink by gluing tape to its lower surface around the perimeter, as well as illuminating the toilet. Whether it’s beautiful or not – judge for yourself from the photo;
5. It will definitely look impressive if wall-mounted plumbing fixtures are used;
6. It’s simply a sin not to decorate wall cabinets or cabinets in this way. The soaring effect will be achieved to the maximum;
7. You can also highlight wall shelves, if any.

When organizing lighting in the bathroom using LED strip, do not forget that this is a room with high humidity. This means that the tape must have the appropriate protection class. And again, don’t try to use all the ideas within this modest space at once.

Lighting options

As you know, the lighting market is currently quite diverse. But it can also be roughly divided into six options, which will fit perfectly into the hallway area as floor lighting:

• Spotlights;
• neon lamps;
• LED strips;
• LED duralight;
• flexible neon;
• light floor

To understand the features of each backlight option, we will consider them separately and in more detail.

Wiring Requirements

In any of the options for installing hidden lighting, do not allow the wires to twist; all electrical contacts must be made with special clamps or soldering. Wire connections must not be hidden in walls or boxes; all points must be located in junction boxes. The cross-section of the supply wires must correspond to the power of hidden lighting devices. To do this, add up the power of the connected lamps or strips and use the data in the table.

If you are connecting copper and aluminum wires, use brass crimping sleeves or special clamps.

Spot devices

Spotlights

One of the popular lighting devices often found in the hallway are spotlights. This is the easiest and most affordable way to organize floor lighting in the corridor. They are built-in devices, so they are installed in specially prepared holes in the side walls or laminate flooring.

The best option for placing such lighting would be to install it along the entire perimeter of the corridor. If the room has a wardrobe and other furniture, then such lamps are built in on the side of the free wall. The advantages of such lighting include:

• product tightness;
• impact resistance;
• attractive appearance. Such lighting fixtures can act as an additional decorative decoration for the hallway, which will give it a zest and special sophistication;
• long service period;
• Possibility of installing energy-efficient light bulbs.

It is also worth noting that these lamps have excellent moisture resistance. Therefore, they will be an ideal option for organizing lighting not only in the hallway, but also in the bathroom and kitchen.

Flaws

If your interior is already completely finished, then any changes to the wiring may affect the overall finished look. None of this matters if you are doing renovations.

The sensor often loses its sensitivity. The reaction to the slightest changes in space is weaker.

These are the disadvantages that immediately catch your eye, but there are not so many of them. In general, look at the photos of lamps with a sensor. Choose suitable devices, not forgetting about their performance and expiration dates. We are no longer dealing with a luxury item, but with a simple necessary element, widely distributed in everyday life.

Absolutely all people can already buy “smart” lighting devices. Over their service life, they always pay for themselves faster than classic lamps without sensors.

Neon lamps

Another classic way to create lighting is neon lamps. Such products create an even and softly flowing light.

Neon lamp

The neon lamp itself consists of the following components:

• the lamp itself;
• wires;
• special convector.

Therefore, in this case, only a hidden version of the backlight is allowed, where all the components of the device are hidden in a special niche. Neon lamps, just like spotlights, should be placed around the perimeter of the room. As a result, the entire corridor will be flooded with pleasant light. The advantages of such lighting include:

• long service life, which will be more than 10 years;
• availability of a large selection of lighting colors;
• pleasant lighting.

But in addition to the advantages, there are also some disadvantages:

• high fragility of lamps;
• quite high cost;
• the presence of a certain negative effect on the human body.

In addition, installing such lighting on your own will be problematic. This is where you need the help of a professional. And these are additional costs.

Recommendations from experts

Designs with Dimmer are convenient for regulating lighting intensity

Floor lighting in an apartment is quite easy, but for the correct choice of materials and installation you need to study a few tips from experienced people:

1. When purchasing, it is better to give preference to modern materials that have Dimmers (type of switch), they will allow you to adjust the brightness and create the desired atmosphere.
2. If the house has stairs, it is recommended to illuminate not only the flooring, but also the steps. To do this, you can use LED strips, which are installed under the handrails and in special niches on the steps.
3. Instead of making boxes to hide lighting fixtures, you can use the cable space in the baseboards.
4. If installation is carried out on the floor, then the base must be level, otherwise all defects will be visible when the lights are turned on.
5. To add brightness, cords or ribbons of only small diameters, but as powerful as possible, are used. Large diameter materials are used for diffused light.
6. During installation, you must use the connection diagram and adhere to safety rules. To learn how to illuminate the floor with LED strip, watch this current video:

Related article: Wallpaper for a room: on the wall, photo, renovation, beautiful in a one-room apartment, for the home, wallpaper consumption, table, for a large room, video

As you can see, any type of floor lighting has its own characteristics. Any light source with its brightness, color scheme, etc. should be selected depending on the size of the room and its functionality. Additionally, you need to think about the effectiveness and harmony of such lighting.

LED strips

LED Strip Light

This type of lighting fixtures is as popular as spotlights. Moreover, in the living room or bedroom they often act in tandem as main and additional lighting. The same situation is relevant in the case of the hallway. LED strips are energy-saving light sources, which is another reason for their popularity in home lighting.

This lighting fixture consists of the following parts:

• the tape itself;
• power unit;
• remote control and controller (as additional accessories). With their help you can create multi-mode lighting.

Such a light source will be an excellent replacement for fragile neon lamps that are unsafe for human health. The advantages of tapes include:

• ease of installation;
• high energy efficiency indicators;
• the presence of a wide range of colors;
• long period of work;
• possibility of installing hidden and non-hidden lighting.

As you can see, using LED strip has many advantages.

Light as a means of correcting proportions

The hallway and corridor often have an unfortunate shape. The room can be long, narrow, cramped. These shortcomings can be corrected with lighting. Here are some standard situations and ways to solve them:

• Long elongated hallway. Particular emphasis is placed on lighting the walls. Lamps can be located on the walls or ceiling, but the light from them should be directed towards the top of the walls. This effect will help visually make the room wider. The effect will be even greater if one of the long walls is decorated with a mirror, preferably the entire wall. A non-standard approach to lighting a loft-style hallway

• In hallways with curves, you can use lamps of different types, but of the same style. With this technique we achieve zoning and an unsuccessful layout turns into a highlight.
• If the hallway is small and the flow is high, you need to visually “lower” the ceilings. For this purpose, lamps use directional light with a small scattering angle. The light should be directed onto the walls and floor, and the ceiling should remain in shadow.
• You can visually increase the height of the room with the help of a brightly lit white ceiling. In this case, the lamps also need directional light, but they should direct the buds of the rays to the ceiling.

These tricks really work and solve two problems at once: they illuminate and correct the shape of the room. You just need to choose the right light sources.

LED duralight

LED duralight

This lighting device acts as an alternative to LED strips and neon lamps. Duralight has the form of a transparent PVC tube in which LEDs are installed at equal distances.

The advantages of such a lamp include:

• availability of various colors;
• soft and high-quality lighting;
• the presence of several types of duralight modifications (two- or three-wire).

The design of the lamp has a plug with which it is connected to the power supply network.

Typical installation errors

It is quite difficult to install a diode strip incorrectly, however, there are such unconventional mounting methods that are best avoided:

• Fixation using a construction stapler. Undoubtedly, this is a very fast method and quite reliable, but one wrong move and your tape will become unusable;

• It is also not recommended to use hot melt glue. After hardening, it will serve as a layer that does not remove, but rather accumulates heat. The tape may overheat;
• Often, when peeling off the protective tape from the adhesive layer, places where conductive paths pass are exposed. If you stick a tape with such an unprotected place on an aluminum profile, a short circuit and burnout of the device will inevitably occur. You must first stick a small piece of electrical tape onto the profile in the place where the tracks come into contact with its surface and only then continue installation;

• Do not use cable ducts not intended for this purpose to lay the tape. She'll just overheat.

The article was written for the site.

Tags:Lighting systems

Flexible neon

Flexible neon

This lighting device is a cross between a neon lamp and an LED strip. The design resembles duralight: a PVC tube in which LEDs are placed. But the difference is that the light they emit is neon.

The advantages of such a lamp include the ability to lay it not only along a rectangular area (unlike neon lamps), but also in any other variation. At the same time, you can safely do everything yourself without turning to a specialist for help. Flexible neon has a high service life (up to 100,000 hours), but this can be reduced if used or installed incorrectly.

Glass windows, niches and streams

For practical reasons, only some part of the floor can be allocated for floor glazing, for example, for the free flow of daylight, which is, albeit a minimal, prerequisite for saving electricity. There is also a possible option for local glazing of the floor, in which only a niche is equipped, designed to the customer’s taste. Often a niche serves as a place for a dry aquarium, illuminated and filled with various decor.

• Installation of a through glass window is available even to owners of country houses and is suitable for two-level residential projects.
• Even more impressive is a literal aquarium built into the floor, but it requires serious investment and systematic maintenance, and busy people may need outside help. All types of fish and other marine life are suitable for placement in an aquarium.
• Simple floor structures include glass streams, which are a series of narrow longitudinal elements located one after another and securely attached on several sides.

Light floor

The term “light floor” refers to luminous floor modules.

Light floor

Such modules can be installed either in a chaotic manner or along the entire perimeter of the hallway. The advantages of this option include:

• high moisture resistant properties;
• high shockproof qualities.

With the help of such modules you can create a special room design. But remember not to overdo it here. Such a floor in several modules is more suitable for a spacious corridor than a narrow hallway. It should be noted that light floors are used extremely rarely at home. Most often it can be found in nightclubs and on dance floors, where they act as an element of the interior of dance floors.

Style directions and choice of lamps

As you can see in the photo, sconces in the hallway on the walls can be very different. It all depends on the general style of the room:

• Walls decorated with masonry are best complemented with sconces in the form of antique torches. It is interesting that many manufacturers, using innovative materials and technologies, have managed to convey the flickering of fire.
• A Provence style corridor requires the use of lighting elements with floral or openwork patterns.
• Laconic high-tech is unthinkable without modern movable sconces, which are simply adjusted by turning the handle, with a metal frame made of steel or aluminum and a modern lampshade. They look minimalistic and restrained, there is no decor.

• Sconces in the Art Nouveau style are distinguished by their versatility, smooth lines, strict color palette and a wide range of shapes, so they will suit any interior. Compact models in a discreet combination of snow-white and black with gold or red accents are especially in demand. Modernism has adopted some features of the classics, but at the same time is open to modernity.
• Provence, rustic, country, chalets require the use of wooden elements, rough forged steel, and antique-style chains. There are a lot of such options on sale. Rustic styles, despite their roughness, create a pleasant atmosphere and cozy atmosphere in the room.

When choosing, you also need to be guided by the size of the room. The smaller it is, the more compact the lamps should be, otherwise they will look completely out of place. There are many shapes and sizes, so you can find the most harmonious solution.

Aquarium

Aquarium lighting is a completely separate topic for discussion. Many people here use special lamps with UV light.

At the same time, to create a beautiful picture, no one forbids attaching a waterproof LED strip to the top cover of the aquarium box.

It is the illumination from the inside, and not from the outside, that makes this dark water world truly indescribable.

To summarize the above, I would like to recommend the following. Most importantly, do not try all of the above ideas at the same time in the same room.

Maximum two solutions, no more. Otherwise, your lighting will be tasteless and look pretentious.