You can prevent your LED lights from falling down using strong adhesive options such as 3M foam or Gorilla tape. If you’re not into adhesive, you can use aluminium channels or mounting clips for the job. Everything works fine if applied on a surface cleaned by rubbing alcohol.
LED light strips can enhance our day-to-day life experience. However, they can also become a nightmare if starts falling down randomly. Let me share my personal story – a few days ago, I was sleeping peacefully in my bed & suddenly (at 3 am) heard some dropping noises. It was my strips falling from the ceiling & it was a horrible experience for me.
I’ve found out my strategy for hanging LED light strips wasn’t strong enough & that’s why that incident happened. After facing that experience, I’ve tried my best to find the best solutions to keep LED strips from falling down, and fortunately – I’m successful.
If you are also facing the problem of LED light strips falling down frequently & don’t know how to prevent it, this article is for you.
In this article, I will describe how you can keep your LED lights from falling down by suggesting six effective methods.
How To Prevent LED Light Strips From Falling Down: Top 6 Methods
In this segment, You will learn the top six methods of preventing LED light strips from falling. All of these methods are tested & proven by the mass users so that you can bet on them.
Table of Contents
1. 3M Double-Sided Foam Tape
You can use 3M double-sided foam tape for securely attaching your LED light strips. This foam tape works best on normal even surfaces. However, you can also use this tape on uneven surfaces as well (the effectivity won’t be that good though).
2. Gorilla Double-Sided Tape
If you want something stronger than 3M & can be used on various surfaces, Gorilla double-sided tape is the best option.
This tape can be used to stick LED light strips on surfaces like – walls, ceilings, under cabinets, and around corners. Besides, Gorilla tape is also popular for outdoor usage.
3. Apply Hot Glue
You can’t use adhesive options for attaching LED light strips to wherever you want. There are some places/walls where you can’t use any adhesive as the adhesive won’t stick there properly. For example, you can’t use normal built-in adhesive or 3M on the popcorn wall.
The double-sided tape or any other adhesive option needs to have a seamless connection with the surface for maximum durability. However, this connection doesn’t happen with popcorn walls with bumpy textures. Due to this texture, adhesive can’t attach properly.
What actually happens is – The bumpy texture of popcorn walls makes it more challenging to achieve a flawless connection with adhesive, as it gets stuck in the air pockets & causing the adhesive to lose its effectiveness over time.
If you’re dealing with this type of wall, where adhesive isn’t that effective – you can use hot glue to attach your LED light strip. Be very careful while you apply hot glue to the strip & make sure hot glue doesn’t come into contact with the copper part of the led strip as it might damage certain parts of the strip.
If you still accidentally damage your LED light strip, check out my article on fixing damaged LED light strips – so that you can fix your strip on your own.
4. Mounting Clips
If you don’t want the adhesive option, as it might damage your wall, you can use mounting clips with screws. However, sometimes you don’t have options other than avoiding adhesive options & one of these situations is installing LED lights facing downward (like underneath the bed or couch).
In this position (LEDs facing downward), adhesive fails to maintain stickiness for a week to a month at the most. Later on, the LED light strip will fall off eventually. That’s why it’s ideal to use mounting clips with the screw option for this type of scenario.
Not only just underneath the bed or coach surface, but you can also use mounting clips on wooden & outdoor surfaces. The installation process of mounting the clip is fairly simple – attach your strip to the clip & screw it to your desired surface.
5. Aluminium Channel
An aluminum channel is one of the premium options for attaching LED light strips to any surface. It looks professional & works like a charm when it comes to holding the LED light strips.
You can use aluminum channels anywhere, but using them in places like – restaurants, shops, gaming rooms & bookcases looks better. The installation process is easy to follow too. First, attach the aluminum channel to the wall with double-sided tape or screws. Stick your LED light strip in the channel afterward.
6. Use Connectors For Corners
The most vulnerable portion of the strip to fall off is the corner areas. Because, if you bend them in your corner areas – you’re just allowing more air to get into the bond between the surface and the strip’s adhesive. This issue causes the corner portion to fall off frequently.
For this, you can use connectors. L-shaped connectors are ideal for use in corner places. The installation process of an L-shaped connector is simple – first, you have to cut your LED light strip into two pieces. Then connect the two sides of the strip to the L-shaped connector by matching the R, G, B & W letters. Now use double-sided tape to attach the connector to the surface.
Now let’s assume you don’t want to cut your led light strip and want to use the bend method anyhow. For this I have found a way for you; here it is – instead of bending a light strip in the direction you want to go, bend it in the opposite direction and keep going until it forms a loop.
The created loop makes sure there is no tension in the light strip and forms a seamless connection with the surface. This loop also prevents unwanted air to get into the bond & enhances the effectiveness of the adhesive. For a more secure connection, you can use mounting clips that come with adhesive and put them on the corner side.
Top 5 Reasons Why Your LED Strips Keep Falling Off
LED strip doesn’t fall off without any reason. Here are the top 5 reasons why your LED light strips might keep falling off:
1. Insufficient Adhesive
The built-in adhesive isn’t sufficient enough in most scenarios. It’s both weak & insufficient, causing it less effective when you’re trying to hang your LED strip on places like walls & ceilings.
Not just walls & ceilings, these adhesives are not capable enough to hold strips underneath the table surface as well & causing them to fall off constantly.
2. Dirty or Wet Surface
Due to a dirty or wet surface area, the strip adhesive can’t form a strong bond with the surface. This results in the light strip falling off. Wet surface areas like recently painted walls and textured walls are a very bad choice for sticking LED strips onto them.
That’s why it’s an ideal decision to check the wall type before intending to do anything. For instance, if the wall is dirty – then clean it off & attach your LED light strip through adhesive.
On the other hand, if the wall is recently painted and textured – avoid using adhesive options (as it won’t be effective). In these cases, you can use mounting clips to attach your LED light strips.
3. LED Light Strip Overheating
LED light strip overheating can happen for various external & internal reasons. For example, factors such as – high voltage, poor ventilation, or exposure to high temperatures can cause an LED strip to overheat.
Adhesives used in LED light strips have specific temperature limits and if the strip is exposed to temperatures that exceed the rating, the adhesive may lose its effectiveness. For this reason, overheating can cause your LED light strip to fall off.
4. Excessive Bending or Flexing Of LED Light Strip
LED light strips are built very flexibly & you can bend them as you like, but you shouldn’t bend or flex them too much. Excessive bending or flexing can cause the built-in adhesive to lose its grip & which will result in the strip falling off accidentally.
5. Old Adhesive
One of the main reasons that LED light strips can fall off is the adhesive losing its effectiveness over time. This can happen for various reasons, such as – exposure to high temperatures, humidity, or UV light. When the adhesive loses its effectiveness, it can no longer hold the strip in place & resulting in the strip falling off.
How To Put Your LED Strip Back After It Falls Off?
If your LED strip has fallen off, you can put it back by following the steps mentioned below:
1. Clean The Surface
At first, you need to clean the surface where you’ll be attaching your LED light strip. Cleaning doesn’t mean just wiping off the area with a dump cloth. Use rubbing alcohol, so that no dirt or residue is sitting around.
Read Also:
How To Remove LED Strip Lights Without Peeling Paint
2. Decide Which Method To Use
After the cleaning process is done, now it’s time to decide which method you’ll be using. In this article, I have discussed 6 methods of attaching LED light strips to a surface, including foam tape, gorilla tape, aluminum channel, and so on.
If you feel the built-in adhesive of the strip isn’t capable of holding the light strip, you can use double-sided tape. Several types of double-sided tape are available in the market, such as – 3M normal double-sided tape, 3M double-sided foam tape & Gorilla double-sided tape.
Foam tape is a narrow tape that works great with even surfaces & slightly works with uneven surfaces. The Gorilla double-sided tape is stronger than 3M & it’s so strong that – if it is applied on a delicate surface, the surface may damage if the tape is removed. So, choose your tape type wisely.
You can also use hot glue to attach your LED light strip. Sometimes, you may also want to use both hot glue & double-sided tape for added security & it’s totally fine.
There are some other methods you can also consider, such as – using mounting clips & aluminum channels. Choose your method wisely, keeping your need or requirement in mind.
Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs
How To keep LED Light Strips From Falling Off TV?
Most LED light strip starts to peel off from the corner areas, as the grip is minimum there. To prevent LED light strips from falling off TVs, use connectors to secure the strip and press gently while attaching it to a clean surface.
How Can I Install & Ensure My LED Strip Lights Stay In Place In The Shower?
A shower is a wet area; that’s why you’ll need a waterproof LED light strip & adhesive (such as silicone adhesive) to keep the strip in place. If you’re not using waterproof adhesive, you’ll notice the effectivity of the adhesive is declining over time & it will cause the strip to fall off.
Conclusion
I hope this article was helpful enough to tell you how to keep LED strip lights from falling down. I have discussed the potential reasons for which LED light strip falls down frequently. Also, I have described 6 proven methods of attaching LED light strips to the surface so it won’t fall down.
If you follow the methods mentioned above, I am sure your LED strip light won’t fall again. Keep in mind, whatever method you’re going to apply – make sure to clean the surface with rubbing alcohol all the time before attaching adhesive to it.
I am Mark Braeden, a professional electrician based in California. With over a decade of experience in the electrical industry, I have launched this website with the aim of sharing my expertise and providing solutions to common lighting issues that can cause frustration for homeowners.
Whether you need help selecting the right bulb for your living room lamp or require guidance in installing LED strip lights, I am here to assist you.
But it’s not just about fixing problems. I’m also here to inspire you with all sorts of creative lighting ideas that can transform your home.
