6 modern floor lighting options

Before we consider the most interesting ideas for floor lighting in an apartment, you need to talk about what requirements should be adhered to. The idea of design of kitchen furniture

So, the main requirements for lighting the floor are:

Luminaires must be protected from moisture,when wet cleaning there is a high probability that water will get into the products. It is best to purchase sealed luminaires with a degree of protection IP 67. Otherwise, take care of the proper sealing.
The housing of the backlight elements must be protected from mechanical damage. Most lamps have a fragile base, so care must be taken to ensure that it is not accidentally broken.
The light from the products should not dazzle the eyes. Most often, hidden illumination of the floor in the apartment and the 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.
Do not forget about saving energy. Give preference to energy-saving LED lights.

The device material must be fireproof. Some light sources can heat up and melt the plinth, which as a result can cause it to self-ignite.

Contents:

Basic lighting options
Spotlights
Neon lamps
LED strips
LED duralight
Flexible neon
Lighting floor
Useful advices
Photo examples

Basic lighting options

We present to your attention an overview of the most popular versions of lighting fixtures for floor lighting in an apartmentand the house.

Spotlights

The simplest and most popular is the installation of spotlights in the floor. They are installed in specially created holes in the floor tiles and laminate. Most often, installation on the perimeter of the room. The advantage of spotlighting is that the housing of the luminaires is sealed and shock-resistant, in addition, the energy consumption of light bulbs is minimal, and the service life is long.

Based on moisture-resistant properties, it should be noted that most often this option is used when creating lighting in the bathroom. In addition, the LEDs have proven themselves to illuminate the floor in the bedroom and hallway, tk.allow to create a decorative environment.

Neon Lamps

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

Advantages of this method is the long service life of lamps( over 10 years) and a wide range of shades of lighting( more than 100).The main drawbacks are the fragility of the flasks and the high cost of the products. It should also be noted that the installation of neon lamps in the floor requires the obligatory assistance of a specialist, whose work will also have to be wasted.

LED strips

A more modern alternative to neon lamps is energy-saving LED ribbons. They are easy to install with their own hands, have a wide range of shades, have energy-saving properties and also work for a long period of time. To date, diode lighting the floor in the apartment is the most popular and appropriate option. These products are also used when installing a hidden ceiling light.

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 ribbon, along with the PSU, must be hidden in a specially prepared niche( for example, a polyurethane cornice).

By the way, instead of the ledge, you can also use a plinth, which has a cable channel. In this case, the tape fits into the channel and thereby illuminates the room along its perimeter, as shown in the photo above.

LED duralight

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

The design provides an electrical plug that plugs into the outlet to make the product light up. Be sure to choose a two-wire duralight, becausethree-wire has a complicated connection scheme, which only the master can do.

Flexible Neon

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

Backlighting of stairs with flexible neon

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

Flexible neon is recommended to be installed in a special cornice to make concealed floor lighting.

Light field

This idea is a bright LED modules that can be installed not only along the perimeter, but also across the entire area of the room. In the interior of the apartment and home, this option is rarely used, but still is no exception.

Advantage of the light-colored floor is high mechanical and waterproofing properties, so most often this option is used in nightclubs and other public institutions, where special attention is paid to the interior. As you can see, the filling 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.

Useful tips

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

Choose modern devices that have dimmers( one of the types of light switches).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.
Together with the floor lighting at the bottom of the wall, arrange for hidden lighting of the staircase. In this case, you can install the LED strip under the handrails or on the steps( as shown in the picture).Remember that the ladder is less safe for movement at night, so pay more attention to it.
An alternative to installing special cornices can be the installation of 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).
Remember that to set the backlight, the floor must be perfectly flat, otherwise the entire curvature of the surface will immediately be displayed when the lamp is turned on.
To create bright light, use cords and tapes of small diameter, but high power. To create more diffuse lighting use products with a larger diameter.
During installation work, be sure to follow the wiring diagram. If you connect the pins incorrectly, the device may immediately fail if turned on. The fact that during the wiring it is necessary to disconnect the electric power in the apartment, I think, it is not worth talking about.
All LED strips and flexible neons have special places for shortening the line, read them before you start cutting the desired length. On how to cut the LED tape, we told in the relevant article.
Give preference to only quality products. Cheap Chinese products of questionable quality - this is not only a short-term pleasure, but more often than not the cause of the fire.