LED Mounting Rails
Mounting rails for LED strips

Product selection – which product fulfils its purpose in which situation?

The selection of the right product should be divided into the following steps in the order shown:

1. How should the profile be installed (concrete or plaster ceiling) = What installation options are available?
2. How should the installation profile look (large, small, flat, without frame, with frame) = define product characteristics
3. What purpose should the light strip serve (e.g. ambient lighting, strong lighting, effect lighting, light colour, light quality) = define light properties.

First of all, you should think about how the installation profiles should be installed. They can be integrated into a plaster ceiling (or suspended ceiling) or installed directly into concrete, brick, plaster, etc. Both options have their advantages and disadvantages. In terms of cost, it is difficult to estimate at first glance which option may be more advantageous. In principle, the material costs for installation directly into the concrete ceiling are lower (as no suspended ceiling needs to be installed), but the amount of work involved is considerably greater, as is the risk of botched work.

Let's start with installation in concrete ceilings/brick ceilings (DIY solution; we will discuss the professional solution in the next paragraph). In the simplest case, this process involves installing rails with narrow edges and without seams. Their edges can be misused as plaster edges. It is important to clarify in advance with the installation personnel who will do which work and to what extent the work can be carried out cleanly. During the concrete pouring phase, placeholders (wood, polystyrene, Styrodur, etc.) are inserted, which can be removed after the concrete has hardened. The insertion work must be well prepared (measured) and considered. If you miss this step, you can also rework the notch afterwards (flexing), but this is a lot of work and should be avoided if possible. Of course, a cable outlet must be provided at one or more strategically good locations, which leads to an inspection box in which the transformer(s) can be stored in an accessible manner. The rails can then be fixed (screwed) in the hardened concrete and subsequently plastered over. There are a few points to note here. As the rail cannot be filled with mesh, cracks may form at the edges, which must then be repaired or may reappear even after the repair work. It is also important to choose a model in which the covers can be inserted if the rail is installed very rigidly. With some products, this can lead to the problem that the covers have to be hammered in with a rubber mallet, which can cause damage to the plaster or paint. In such a case, repairs must be carried out again – the repair work should therefore be left until the end. One trick that can be used with some covers is to plane down the edges to reduce the width. However, this also has the disadvantage of maintenance. If the cover is difficult to remove, repair work will be necessary when replacing the strips, and the cover may even have to be replaced completely. If such a problem is inevitable (e.g. with covers that are very difficult to insert), switch to a different product or, in an emergency, clamp a placeholder into the rail before plastering. For very flat rails, the screws should be sunk as far as possible in order to achieve a homogeneous light surface (otherwise light and dark spots will form). It is therefore necessary to clarify with the installation personnel to what extent it is possible to install a rail without countless additional work and how clean the installation will be until completion.

It is better to use a professional solution when installing concrete

For installation in concrete and brick ceilings, there are also professional solutions that avoid many problems thanks to a well-designed installation process. Here, the corresponding boxes are cast in during the concrete pouring process. These are 4-5 cm high and completely closed. They are nailed to the formwork and cannot slip during the pouring and hardening of the concrete. The opening on the underside is then removed (as with a can opener) and the light module is inserted. This step is only carried out at the very end, i.e. after the painting work. This results in a perfect edge. One such product is the Linea from Egoluce.

Installing LED rails in exposed concrete

There are special solutions for installation in exposed concrete, but these can be very expensive. Experienced electricians can also install standard rails in exposed concrete surfaces using indirect methods. However, this process requires a precise plan and an exact procedure. If you would like to integrate (cost-effective) rails into an exposed concrete ceiling, please contact us and we will explain the process to you. We offer various solutions (aluminium, black, white) with different covers. Built-in rails with black covers have proven to be particularly attractive, as they go well with exposed concrete.

Detailed photo of an exposed concrete rail from a construction site

When installing exposed concrete rails, particular care must be taken to ensure that no liquid concrete flows into the rail. Three key points must be observed to achieve this.

What types of LED tracks are available?

Various special products enable installation in concrete ceilings using installation boxes. In this case, it is not the actual track that is plastered, but only the installation box, and the track is only inserted afterwards, either together with the cover or separately. This results in a shadow gap. Such products are also significantly more expensive.

This brings us to the second – recommended – variant: installing the track in a suspended ceiling. Here, the product selection is much larger, and most tradespeople also have more experience with the installation process. One advantage is that the power outlet does not have to be precisely planned, but can be located almost anywhere on the ceiling. The ballasts can also be easily placed near the track (provided the slot for the built-in track is not too thin) – however, for maintenance reasons, I strongly recommend placing the transformers in a separate inspection box. This means that the track does not have to be removed in the event of problems, which often leads to damage to the plasterboard ceiling. Depending on the product, the track can be installed in the finished plaster ceiling or during the installation of the plaster ceiling. Professional products are often installed during the installation of the plaster ceiling. The simplest version has a seam and can be clamped into the plaster ceiling with a counter-mounting. Products of any width and depth can be selected. Variants with a width between 3 cm and 4 cm look better. Narrow 1 cm variants are usually cheaper, but look puny, while wide 5 cm rails look pompous and usually have thick and bulky covers that absorb a lot of light (I will come back to the covers in more detail later). As the seam is usually clearly visible, it is also advisable to pay attention to the colour. Aluminium variants look very technical, while white variants look more homely. Bronze or brass variants are also trendy, as they can create an interesting contrast between material and design – but of course, this must first and foremost match the interior design. Variants that are completely plastered and therefore rimless are also very attractive. When installing LED profiles in plasterboard ceilings, the suspended ceiling is a major additional cost factor, and the rails themselves can also vary greatly in price depending on the product. However, installation is much easier, less problematic and also more cost-effective. Additional work and repairs are usually not necessary. Especially with built-in rails with folds, uneven cuts or small chips on the edges are not noticeable as they are covered.

Conclusion: A plaster ceiling is a cost factor. However, if you calculate all the additional work involved in installing it directly into the concrete/brick ceiling, as well as the associated risk, a plaster ceiling is usually the cheaper option. The costs are also easier for the builder to estimate and include in the construction budget.

Now we come to point two – the appearance of the recessed track. As we have already mentioned, recessed tracks can have a seam or just a small frame – which may again depend on the type of installation (see above). Important points are the width of the track and the colour, as also mentioned above. A key factor for the appearance is the cover. The cover of an LED recessed track is ultimately the largest visible part. Depending on the product quality, the covers can look almost like satin-finished glass, harmonising beautifully with the ceiling, but they can also look like cheap plastic surfaces. The covers should therefore be held up to a wall in daylight to check the final effect (when switched off). When switched on, transparency or light transmission is very important. There are covers with different degrees of transparency. Transparency starts at 30% light transmission, which is terrible – particularly thick covers on large rails have such poor values. Many products have a transparency of 50%, and such covers should also be avoided. Good products have a light transmission of 80%, but 93% is also possible. For use in offices or workspaces, it is advisable to use microprismatic covers, as these usually have a high light transmission automatically – but are glare-free. Light transmission plays an extremely important role, as it can naturally increase or reduce the efficiency of the entire lighting. There is no point in using the most efficient strip with an excellent lumen/watt ratio if it is negated by a cheap or poor cover. Simply put, poor covers require much stronger strips to achieve a good effect. This complicates the cabling, increases heat dissipation and, of course, increases power consumption.

Conclusion: The most visible part of the track is not the track itself, but the cover. This should therefore play a major role when it comes to the appearance and, last but not least, the efficiency of the lighting.

Now we come to the last point, where we deal with the purpose or area of application of the recessed track. First, the desired light intensity should be defined. The focus here should not be on how many watts per metre a potential strip has, but primarily on the lumens and then on the lumen/watt ratio. If a strip has a consumption of 14.4W (standard consumption) per metre and produces 1440 lumens, the lumen/watt ratio is 100:1. In any case, it should be at least 100:1, and higher if possible (as of 2015). Provided that efficient coverage (light transmission >80%) is selected, the following rough estimates can be made:

Lumen values for LED strips:

• Orientation light: 100-300 lumens/metre
• Ambient lighting: 300-500 lumens/metre
• Crisp ambient lighting: 700-1000 lumens/metre
• Room lighting: 1000-1400 lumens/metre
• Bright room lighting: 1400-2000 lumens/metre
• Strong room lighting/plaster light: 2500-3500 lumens/metre

Statements made by retailers such as "this strip has 19.2W and is therefore superior to the 14.4W version" are completely inaccurate. It is possible that a 14.4W strip is far superior to a 19.2W strip in terms of lumens. This reduces consumption while providing higher performance, which is desirable.

Once you have determined the light intensity, you should then consider the light colour. With the exception of RGB variants, the usual light colours in residential areas in Europe are 2700k, 3000k and, very rarely, 4000k. I have written a separate article on the subject of light colour here in my blog, which can provide more information. In short, 2700 is preferred for living spaces throughout Europe, while 3000k variants are also well accepted with high CRI values (85 and above). For each strip, you should take a close look at the Kelvin specification. Imported goods are often declared with a range (e.g. from 2700k to 3200k). These ranges can sometimes be very large and the batches can vary greatly. Brand manufacturers offer certified or fixed Kelvin values, which not only offer the advantage of reliability, but also in the event of problems (repurchasing, replacement), also enable a problem-free exchange without suddenly having to accept a new light colour. The light colour can affect your mood. Cool light colours have an activating effect, while warm light colours create a cosy atmosphere. For example, you can choose an activating light colour for the kitchen or bathroom area and a warm, cosy light colour for the living room or bedroom area. I recommend using one light colour throughout and using RGB or second strips for any effect lighting. There are also special strips that can change the white range (e.g. from 2600 to 3500k). It should be borne in mind that such functions are rarely or never used in everyday life.

Colour rendering and light colour for LED strips:

As mentioned above (and explained in more detail in the article on light colours), the CRI value (colour rendering) has an effect on the perceived light colour. For example, a 2700K strip with a low CRI value can appear greenish and a 3000K strip can appear very bluish. This should definitely be avoided by choosing a strip with a CRI of at least 85 (certified).