How to light a bookshelf
Discover all the products we offer so you can illuminate that shelf that you don't know how to highlight in the room.
Nowadays, lighting, especially LED lighting, has become one of the strong points in the decoration of restaurants and entertainment venues. The different decorative proposals can greatly influence whether the establishment is successful or not, since lighting plays an important role in maintaining and/or attracting customers. With a wide variety of designs and powers, different sections can be created depending on the requirements of the premises. There are many factors that you must take into account when setting up a restaurant, bar or any place dedicated to leisure. However, lighting and especially LED lighting is a factor that you should not overlook under any circumstances.
1 Shelves and LED Strips
Among the different options presented to illuminate the shelves, the most used are the LED strips. As we already know, within the world of LED strips there are two clearly differentiated options depending on the supply voltage. The first category are those that need a transformer for their operation, they are the LED strips at 12/24 VDC (direct current). The second category are those that work directly to the electrical grid, LED strips at 220 VAC for its implementation.
2 Things to take into account before installation
Before choosing the type of LED strip that we are going to install, we must take into account the measurements of the furniture that we want to illuminate since this can give us clues as to which is the best option. In most installations, the LED strip that is usually used is the 12/24 VDC one due to its versatility and it allows us to carry out more precise installations. The biggest drawback of this type of strip is that we need a transformer. This will vary in size depending on the meters and the type of LED strip that we connect. Other types of installations, due to their measurements, fit more with cutting the 220 VAC strips. Therefore, as we mentioned previously, before choosing the type of strip, it is essential to measure the furniture to know the advantages and disadvantages that we will face once we get started with the installation.
3 Recommended shades
As for the different shades that can be chosen, the most suitable option is natural white (4000 - 4500 K) or cold white (6000 - 6500 K) shades. The choice of the first color tone will be chosen when we want the colors of the objects to be highlighted not to be affected. As for the second tone, it is usually used when we want to highlight the objects above all and we want them to stand out. There is also another option for the most daring, which consists of choosing RGB LED strips and managing the colors using a controller with a remote control. We can apply the first option to shops and businesses, while this last option (RGB) can be applied to leisure businesses and nightclubs. A very clear example of this is in wine cellars or bottle racks where they usually give a more colorful and dynamic touch.
4 Shelves and LED strips
Another totally different option that is usually used for shelf lighting are LED strips or bars. These types of products usually have already established measurements varying from 300 mm to 1500 mm. These types of power strips are directly connected to the electrical network because we do not need any additional accessories to start them up. The biggest drawback of this type of product is the measurements, since these have to be adapted to the measurements of the shelves, which is sometimes not possible. As in the case of LED strips, the recommended shades are natural white (more aimed at clothing and accessories businesses) or cold white (aimed at highlighting one or several products above the rest)
5 What should we take into account?
It should be noted that most of the shelves are made of wood. This is a factor to take into account if we opt for the installation of LED strips. As is well known, LED strip installations must be carried out on metal parts, whether aluminum or another material that helps dissipate heat and so that the useful life of the strips is not affected. In addition, the protection of the LED strips must be taken into account. For the installation of LED strips on shelves, protection indices such as IP20, IP25 or IP33 are recommended. Therefore, this type of strips are usually installed on aluminum profiles that help us dissipate the heat generated and diffuse the light provided by the LED strips.
