LED Closet Light
Intro: LED Closet Light
DARK CLOSET PROJECT - LEDS
We have a closet that is unbearably dark. So I kept my eyes open for a light fixture that could do the job. I was pleased to find some white LED cove lights by Philips Color Kinetics that were being thrown away (Model: eW Cove MX). The lights are rated 100-277Vac, 13.5 watts each, are about 1 inch wide and 12 inches long and can daisy-chain together. Although these lights are designed to be hidden in a cove to provide an indirect glow to a ceiling or other architectural element, they work great lighting up a closet.
I mounted three lights end-to-end on a pre-painted piece of pine that I had. The lights allow themselves to be rotated for aimming after mounting so I pointed two downward and one upward. The board with the lights was mounted just above the door molding on the inside. I plan to permanently wire the lights to a switch outside the closet but that is another day's project so I spliced on a power supply cord and plugged it into a power strip. The closet is unbelievably bright using just over 40 watts of power!
We have a closet that is unbearably dark. So I kept my eyes open for a light fixture that could do the job. I was pleased to find some white LED cove lights by Philips Color Kinetics that were being thrown away (Model: eW Cove MX). The lights are rated 100-277Vac, 13.5 watts each, are about 1 inch wide and 12 inches long and can daisy-chain together. Although these lights are designed to be hidden in a cove to provide an indirect glow to a ceiling or other architectural element, they work great lighting up a closet.
I mounted three lights end-to-end on a pre-painted piece of pine that I had. The lights allow themselves to be rotated for aimming after mounting so I pointed two downward and one upward. The board with the lights was mounted just above the door molding on the inside. I plan to permanently wire the lights to a switch outside the closet but that is another day's project so I spliced on a power supply cord and plugged it into a power strip. The closet is unbelievably bright using just over 40 watts of power!
3 Comments
ladaigle.log 5 years ago
wannabemadsci 4 years ago
Thanks for asking about the closet light. As I mentioned in the Instructable the lights were being thrown out so I did not have to purchase them. Looking them up on the internet they cost about $65 each, which is way too much to spend on making a closet bright. At the time I put the lights in the closet LED lights were not available in big box stores like Home Depot. Nowadays you can find lots of LED options at the hardware store. I would suggest going into the lighting section and looking for a 24 inch wide (long) or 48 inch (depending on the width of your closet) LED strip light to use as your light source. This is a much easier solution than going the route I went.
Here is an example of a 2 foot LED strip light that is on sale for $10:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Lithonia-Lighting-2-ft-12-Watt-White-Integrated-LED-Strip-Light-MNSL-L23-1LL-120V-40K-80CRI-M6/300263604
Note that color temperature makes a big difference. The sale item above is 4000K which is a bit on the cool (bluish) side of the spectrum. 3000K is a nice bright light that is a bit warmer, and 2700K even warmer yet, like warm incandescent. They usually have displays in the store so you can find the color temperature you like.
Good luck on lighting up your closet.
ladaigle.log 5 years ago