How to Easily Conceal and Install LED Strip Lights

If you have kids at home, I’m sure they’ve been begging you to install LED strip lights in their room.

It’s certainly all the rage right now.

Top on Aiden’s must haves for his bedroom makeover was LED lights.

Now I wasn’t opposed to the installing the lights, I just wanted the room to look more finished than LED lights stuck to the ceiling.

With just a few simple steps, you can easily install them in any room, while also hiding them away with cove moulding around the perimeter of the space.

Read on to find out how to easily install LED strip lights in your space!

Welcome to Week 3 of the One Room Challenge!

As a reminder you can easily navigate through each week of this room makeover, by clicking on the links below.

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In this post . . .

What are LED Strip Lights?

LED strip lights are basically a flexible circuit board that is populated with LEDs (light emitting diodes) that you can stick almost anywhere in a variety of colors and brightnesses.

These thin, flexible circuit boards can be bent up to 90 degrees and easily attach using the adhesive backing.

Plus you have complete design freedom – these strips can even be cut every few inches if needed.

In addition, LED strip lights are very affordable, we purchased ours for less that $20.

From fascinating accent lighting behind TVs, along a wall or ceiling, above or under cabinets, these powerful little strips are a great way to illuminate your home.

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What You’ll Need to Install LED Strip Lighting

LED strip lights kit with remote conroll. for less than $20.

First you’ll need your LED strip lighting kit.

We purchased ours on Amazon. You’ll find a link below to the kit we purchased.

For our small bedroom, we purchased a 50 ft. kit.

To conceal our LED strip light with moulding we also purchased cove moulding.

This moulding will add a simple decorative element to the wall, and conceal the light strips.

For a more elegant look you might also try crown moulding.

You’ll need a few tools to install and conceal the LED strip lights.

To install the strip light you’ll just need scissors, and to install the cove moulding you’ll need a miter saw, stud finder and brad nailer.

Once the moulding is installed we also recommend caulking the seams and puttying the nail holes.

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Conceal LED Strip Lights with Moulding

We first gave walls and ceiling and new coat of paint.

For a moody and dramatic feel in Aiden’s room, we painted the ceiling black and also brought that color down on the wall 12″.

This is the level we’ll install the cove moulding for concealing the LED strip lights.

Next, we located the studs in the wall with our stud finder.

Use painters tape mark studs in wall before attaching cove moulding to the wall with brad nailer.

Then we placed a piece of painters tape where each stud is located.

A miter saw is used to cut the cove moulding at a 45 degree angle before installing to the wall.

Next, we measured each wall and cut the cove moulding with the miter saw.

At each end of the cove moulding we cut a 45° angle.

Actually, our corners of our walls are not exactly square, so we found that cutting each end at 44° made for a better fitting seam.

Attach cove moulding to the wall with a pneumatic nail gun into the studs in the wall.

Then we dry fit the moulding and then attached into the studs with a brad nailer.

Once the cove moulding is installed apply a bead of caulk along the lower edge of the cove moulding.

Then once all of the cove moulding is installed around the room, caulk, putty and paint the moulding.

Install LED Strip Lights

After the paint is cured, you can go ahead and install the LED strip lights.

This is a super easy job that can be done in about 15 minutes.

You’ll only need scissors to install the lights.

Place LED Strip lights into transformer and plug into outlet.

First, determine where you’ll plug in the LED strip lights and conceal the cord.

In our case, the best location was by the window.

We will be hanging curtains just outside the window frame and this will totally hide the plug and light strip going up the wall.

From the outlet in we placed the LED strip light along the wall, following the edge of the moulding that’s around the window.

To adhere the light strip to the wall, pull back the covering from the adhesive strip and press lightly to the wall.

The light strip is repositionable if you just lightly press it to the wall.

Then once you’re satisfied with the placement you can press and seal it to the wall.

If you ever decide to remove the strip lights, heat up the strip with a hair dryer and you can easily remove it.

Install LED strip lights by placing on the flat edge of the installed cove moulding.

The light strip is placed up over the cove moulding and then make a 90° fold, again continue to run the light strip along the moulding.

How to Wrap LED Strip Lights Around Corners

Install LED strip lights by placing on the flat edge of the installed cove moulding. At corner, fold strip lights and continue to attach to cove moulding.

When we reached the corner, the strip is placed all the way to the wall,

then make a fold and again continue along the next wall.

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At marked location on LED strip lights, make a cut with scissors.

Then once you make it all around the room, locate the section between the 2 arrows where you can make a cut.

The LED light strip cuts easily with all purpose scissors.

Then adhere the final strip to the moulding.

Enjoy Your New Lighting!

White painted cove moulding separate black and white paint on wall. The cove moulding is used to hide the LED strip lights on the wall.

Installed LED strip lights on cove moulding, white walls with black ceiling and red LED lights.

As you can see, when the LED strip lights are off, they are totally concealed.

Red LED lights concealed with cove moulding and a black dyed curtain with white polka dots, light sabers mounted o the wall, Kylo Ren costume hung on wall with black and white bedding.

The LED strip light can be controlled by the remote control or via the APP.

In fact, with the APP you can choose hundreds colors and you can even sync it to music.

Blue LED lights installed on white painted cove moulding, with black painted ceiling and upper section of wall.

In addition, you can also control the brightness of the LED lights.

Installing LED strip lights is a great way to add a little bit of interest and personality to any room.

And with just a few easy steps, you can easily hide the strip lighting, making sure that it looks neat and tidy.

So, if you’re looking to give a room in your home a fun upgrade, installing LED strip lights is the perfect solution!

Ready to give your home an upgrade?

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Please follow along each week and watch the progress of Aiden’s room!

Also remember to check out the many other room transformations taking place on the One Room Challenge blog.

Without a doubt you’ll be inspired with countless design styles and creative ideas.

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WE HOPE TO BRING YOUR HOME TO THE SUNNY SIDE OF THE STREET!

PINTEREST IMAGE, woman holding roll of LED strip lights with LED lights install on cove moulding.

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This Post Has 2 Comments

Renae April 19, 2023 Reply

Such a great idea. my grandson would love this.
1. Stephanie April 19, 2023 Reply
  
  My little guy was begging for these. He’s so excited for his room to be finished so he can sync them to music. Love that they are super easy to install. too