In suburban construction, smart home technologies are increasingly being used, which implies a convenient and safe organization of living space. The staircase lighting in the house refers to the elements of ensuring the safe operation of the home. There are many options for intelligent stairwell lighting.
The correct arrangement of the lamps does not distort the contours of the steps and avoids shaded areas, as a result, a person without risk can climb to the second floor or go down from it. Span illumination is carried out using LED, neon and halogen lamps. The use of specific equipment depends on the material and configuration of the flight of stairs.
Wooden stairs should not be equipped with halogen lamps, since this type of lamp heats up very much during operation, which can lead to fire.
Lighting devices are usually located along the length of the steps, on the side surfaces or they are mounted above them in the form of chandeliers or sconces. The color of the lighting also plays a significant role, since wooden surfaces are best emphasized by warm, yellowish light, and cold, white shade is preferred for metal products.
The installation of special lighting for stairwells is mandatory if:
- people of advanced age;
- children with a diagnosis of hyperactivity;
- adults and children with impaired motor system.
Types of stairs and lighting suitable for them
Lighting of a staircase in a private house is carried out in such a way that the structural elements of the product are perfectly visible, but there is no blinding of a person with directional light. The type of lighting depends on the type of flight of stairs.
Screw
The peculiarity of screw structures is the use of rounded steps. This configuration is best played with LED strip. Traditionally, spiral staircases are small in size, so fencing and a side wall are used to place the backlight.
For spiral staircases, the illumination of each step is required.
Wood and metal
The LED illumination of the stairs is possible if the steps have no risers, since the tube with LEDs is installed from the inside, directing the flow of light to the lower step. If risers are equipped, then place spotlights or overhead lighting.
Stairs with transparent steps
Transparent steps are made of reinforced glass or acrylic. To illuminate marches of this type, a diffuser screen is installed at the ends of the steps, which allows you to create the effect of full lighting of the steps. If the handrails are made of acrylic, you should direct the stream of light to the end, which allows you to achieve the effect of internal glow.
Concrete stairs
Illumination of the stairs with an LED strip is not possible in this case. The most optimal option for lighting concrete stairs is the side lighting on the wall at a level of 40-50 cm from the surface of the steps, you can also use the option with chandelier lighting (with a sufficient height of the span).
Backlight Types
Automatic
Automatic staircase lighting is not only a convenient option in lighting the space, but also a great way to save energy. Special sensors react to the movement of a person or are triggered by a sound signal, while the light turns off automatically after the person has left the room.
Smart staircase lighting is adjusted to meet the needs of residents of a country house, for which sensors are used.
The motion sensor is triggered when the tenant moves and turns on the stairs at the moment of crossing a certain space. When a person leaves the room, the light turns off independently for a pre-programmed time. The use of this sensor is recommended for one mode of operation of the fixtures.
Illumination of the stairs on the steps with a motion sensor equipped with protection of the sensor from atmospheric precipitation allows the illumination of external spans. A sensor with a timer or on a photocell will turn on the light at certain hours. This option allows you to turn on the lighting of external stairs at night or at a programmed time.
The load sensor responds to external influences and closes the circuit when pressure is applied to the steps or when touching the railing. The sound sensor is tuned to a person's voice or clap, turning the light on and off by sound command.
Wireless
The use of autonomous energy sources makes it possible to organize safe and reliable stairwell lighting. Often, parents arrange wireless lighting of the stairs to the second floor, where the children's bedrooms are located.
For wireless lighting equipment, motion sensors, lamps and batteries will be needed, which can be used as standard high-capacity batteries. Placing this type of lighting in a private house allows you to achieve the following advantages:
- reduction in energy consumption;
- the possibility of using the backlight as emergency lighting when the power is off;
- lighting works only at the moment when there is a need, which allows you to use the battery for a long time;
- soft light is sufficient to illuminate the steps, while it does not blind;
- for the backlight device, it is not necessary to lay the cable and drill the walls;
- little accurate products, safe.
Ready-made kits can be installed with your own hands by any owner of an apartment or private house. A simple assembly scheme and the absence of the need to connect to high voltage allow installation without specialists.
Usually, AAA (pinky) batteries are used in ready-made sets of wireless luminaires. Motion sensors turn off the light after stopping movement for 18 seconds.
Plain
Self-installation of electric lighting stairs from the network without special skills is impossible. Work with stress requires certain knowledge and skills, so it’s better to invite a professional to build traditional systems. Improper wiring may cause fire or injury.
To install a traditional system, you will need:
- wires of a certain section and brand;
- fixtures;
- motion sensors;
- relay;
- corrugated tubes and cable channels for laying wires in wooden houses.
The first step for stairwell lighting equipment is to draw up a wiring diagram, after which chain elements are acquired and surfaces for cable laying are prepared. In concrete surfaces, gating is carried out, for wooden, external cable channels are used.
It is easiest to organize lighting using strip LEDs; it is more difficult to install spotlights that are mounted flush to the wall surface.
Types of lamps for backlight
The lamps used in lighting fixtures have their own characteristics and differ in basic characteristics. Traditionally, halogen, neon and LED lamps are used to illuminate stairwells.
Halogen
This type of lamp provides a bright glow, but at the same time there is strong heating, so the use of halogen lamps is not recommended in wooden buildings.
In addition to a high degree of heating during operation, halogen lamps are sensitive to changes in mains voltage and quickly fail in such situations.
Neon
This type of lamp gives a soft, diffused light, optimally suited for the limited space of the flight of stairs. They are durable, but very sensitive to mechanical stress, and fail at the slightest load.
LED
The most popular type of lamp. The advantages of LED lamps include:
- variety of shapes, power, color and types of socles;
- LED lamps have a weak degree of heating during operation;
- power consumption of LED products compares favorably with other types of lamps;
- significant resource of operation.
Types of lighting devices and their installation location
Spotlights
The small lamp, located along the tenant's stairs, creates a spectacular illumination of the space, while doing an excellent job with the main function of lighting the steps.
Based on the location, spotlights are divided into:
- Wall-mounted - this type of lighting should be planned in advance, since the wiring must be hidden in the wall, and special niches should be prepared for built-in appliances. It is ideal to place such a backlight in drywall;
- Lamps in steps - also require hidden wiring under the steps, and to install the device itself, it is necessary to use a drill bit for the size of the lamp;
- Floor - mini searchlights that are installed on the surface of the stairs. The wiring with this option for placing the backlight will have to be hidden in a protective casing.
LED strip
This type of lighting is quite popular due to its low power consumption and simple wiring diagram. LED strip is a flexible tube, inside of which there are LEDs. There are many color options that will create a harmonious atmosphere in the interior.
When planning staircase lighting, it should be noted that in addition to wiring it will be necessary to “hide” additional devices (controllers and power supplies). On the surface, the tape is mounted on an adhesive base or in a metal profile.
Due to the elasticity of the product, the tape is attached to any surface. Traditionally, it is attached:
- on the steps;
- on the wall;
- along the perimeter of the stairs;
- on the railing.
Stair chandelier
The use of chandeliers to illuminate stairwells in a private house is justified if there is sufficient space above the passage. If this condition is met, you can choose a suitable lighting fixture in style that fits organically into the interior.
The use of massive illumination is unlikely to be appropriate in a small cottage, so most often chandeliers are installed in public buildings, where it is quite possible to illuminate a two-flight staircase with one large chandelier.
The chandelier is suspended from the ceiling, and the electrical connection is made via a cable hidden in the floor panel.
Wall sconces
Wall lights, made in a certain style, serve as a continuation of the overall interior. Hidden wiring is used to connect the sconce to the general electrical network, but if the owners do not want to ditch the wall, or the lighting is organized in a wooden house, a cable channel with decorative finishes is used.
Each lamp can illuminate large areas, and often for simple stairs one sconce is enough, but if the flight of stairs consists of two marches with a turn, then two or three lamps are installed, and the sconces are always placed on the turntable.
All light sources are closed in one circuit, leading to a common switch. If desired, a motion sensor is installed, which will automatically close the circuit when moving a person.
DIY automatic LED backlight mounting
Highlighting staircase steps with LED strip is a stylish and effective lighting solution for this design. For a LED lighting device, you need a couple of power supplies. Using one, the voltage is converted, the other is necessary for embedding the circuit in a domestic network.
Making your own backlighting from LEDs is quite simple for any beginner who first encounters such equipment. When purchasing components, the buyer is given an instruction in which all conditions and the sequence of connection are described.
If there are protrusions on the steps, an adhesive base of the tube will be sufficient for fastening, and in the absence of this element, an installation profile will have to be used.
Materials and Tools
To install the staircase lighting using an LED tube, the following tools and materials will be required:
- controllers
- Power supplies,
- LED strip
- profile for installing tape
- clamps
- screwdriver
- self-tapping screws
- hammer drill.
Step-by-step instruction
- The profile is cut to the required width.
- On the stage, a profile for 4 screws is fixed.
- The LED tube is mounted in the profile.
- Protruding wires mask under the steps or baseboard.
- The tape is connected to the stabilizer, controller and network unit.
- The circuit closes to the switch.