So are LED strip lights reusable, and how can you make them long-lasting?
Many people ask these tough questions; any LED light enthusiast should have real answers.
Generally, LED strips are versatile and flexible, making them useful anywhere and in multiple applications.
But what if you need to restyle your space or switch houses to a different place?
Does it mean you’ll have to discard your expensive LED strip light and purchase new ones for your new home?
Not at all! Even if you employed adhesive backing, we still have different approaches to removing them from one location and resticking them in a new one.
Today’s article answers all questions you’d have about LED strip lights. Let’s get rolling!
Is It Possible To Reuse LED Strip Lights after the Removal
Yes! Reusing your LED strip lights after removing them from a wall is possible.
People often remove and reuse LEDs when restyling their homes or changing houses and locations.
However, for the LEDs to be reusable, you must remove them carefully without damage.
Also, keeping the wall’s integrity intact would be best.
Generally, LED strips are highly versatile and flexible, and you can employ them anywhere and in many applications.
Removing LED Strips Without Damaging The Wall
(Installing LED strip light decorative lighting)
It’s best practice to remove LED strips without causing wall damage, and this can only happen through the following steps:
Power
LED strips use electrical power like all other electronics, which might present risks if you handle them carelessly.
Therefore, switch off the power supply or disconnect the LED strip from power before anything else.
This way, you won’t risk damaging the LED or experiencing electric shock during removal.
Heating
After disconnecting the LED strips from your power supply unit, heating is time.
However, don’t expect the adhesive backing to come off easily since they stick securely on the surface.
And if you don’t exercise caution, you might damage the LED strip component while struggling to remove the strip.
Generally, heating the LED strip loosens it and guarantees the strips are ripe for removal.
Since manufacturers employ different components to design LEDs, research and seek clarification on how delicate the components are to avoid melting them with heat.
If the manufacturer signals you to proceed with heating, slowly apply a hairdryer along the strip light.
For safety purposes and to avoid damaging the components, apply low-medium heat.
However, you might have to exercise patience and allow all the adhesive to come out.
Loosening
Although heating the adhesive backing might weaken, it won’t be effective to list off the LED strip at this point.
Doing so would mean damaging the paint on the wall.
Therefore, you should wedge the LED strip using a blind object to detach it from the wall.
Afterward, peeling the LED strip from the wall becomes easier, especially if you have heated it effectively.
Ways of Resticking LED Light Strips
(A person installing LED strip lighting)
After removing LED strips from your wall, you might want to restick them elsewhere.
Below are the approaches you should follow to accomplish this.
Adhesive Tapes
This is the most common option for sticking and resticking LED strip lights on the walls.
We sometimes refer to them as double-sided tapes available in most stores.
After researching, we found adhesive tapes to be cheap and readily available.
And after sticking LED strips, it is easy to remove the tapes.
However, we realized these tapes aren’t as long-lasting as the other options.
Adhesive Glue
(A master gluing LED strip)
This glue is developed for utility; you’ll find it stronger and more effective than normal glue.
However, after checking the prices, it was obvious that adhesive glue is more expensive.
Moreover, you might find it challenging to work with this glue as it might mess up the application area or stick to unintended surfaces.
Wire Clips
You can use the clips we use for hanging up wires to hold your LED strip lights in place.
And although the result won’t be aesthetically pleasing, we guarantee you’ll find them easy to use.
Staples
With staples, we only recommend heavy-duty options.
However, staples work well with particle boards, cardboard, and hardboard surfaces.
And while resticking LED strip lights using staples, ensure they fit the strip’s width.
But remember, stapling via the LED strips damaged the components.
Elastic Adhesives
Electric adhesives complement adhesive glues, especially where they fail to work effectively.
The advantage of elastic adhesives is that you can mold them into any shape before hardening.
An excellent example of an elastic adhesive is the mounting putty.
However, their only downside is taking longer to set.
LED Covers
The covers are designed with plastic surfaces or translucent glass that softens the LED strip light.
Although LED covers find major application in LED strip sticking, we don’t rate them highly as they require a lot of handiwork and assembling.
How To Make Your LED Strip Lights Long-Lasting
(Purple LED strip lights )
Check out the following tips to make your LED strip lights long-lasting.
Buy quality products: First, an LED strip light will only last longer if designed with high-quality materials and components.
Therefore, find out who the LED strip manufacturer is before committing to buy.
Proper installation: Secondly, its durability determines how effective and wholesome the LED strip installation process is.
Most importantly, install the strip lights as per the manufacturer’s guidelines.
And before you install anything, ensure the surface is dry and clean.
Also, apply unnecessary pressure on the strip or components during installation to avoid damage.
Avoid overloading: LED strip lights have a maximum load limit that can cause severe damage if exceeded.
Generally, overloading any circuit causes overheating, possibly reducing performance or melting components in the worst cases.
Therefore, ensure harmonious power supply, components, and LED strip rating.
Provide proper ventilation: Assuming you fail to solve the overloading problem above and your LED strip overheats, you should provide adequate ventilation.
Therefore, provide heat management systems and proper ventilation to cool down the LED when such happens.
Avoid excessive LED strip twisting/bending: Although LED strips are flexible, excessive bending and folding can damage components.
Therefore, avoid sharp bends and handle the strip with care.
Moisture protection: Exposure to moisture and water causes short circuits that might damage the LED strip lights.
Therefore, ensure you buy waterproof strips; if not, protect them with waterproof materials.
Regular maintenance: Sometimes dirt might accumulate on your strip, thus reducing efficiency, brightness, or durability.
Therefore, ensure you do periodic clean up and repairs to keep the LED strip in good shape.
FAQs
How do you cut LED strips?
You start by measuring and marking the LED strips to the length you want.
Luckily, most strips come with predetermined cut points. And before anything, you should switch off the power supply.
Next, use a utility knife or scissors to cut through the marked points and seal them using solder.
Finally, you can reconnect your LED strips to the power supply and use them.
What’s the lifespan of LED strip lights?
With continuous use, expect your LED strip light to last 30,000-50,000 hours, translating to 3.4-5.7 years.
This estimate is based on the fact that you’ll use the LED for 24 hours daily.
However, the lifespan depends on several factors, including operating conditions, LED quality, maintenance practices, and usage patterns.
Final Remarks
We can finally conclude that, yes, LED strip lights are reusable.
You only need to take proper caution during removal and resticking to ensure no damage happens on the strip.
Some situations that would force you to reuse LED strips include restyling your space or switching houses.
All in all, following the guidelines in this article, will help you reuse your LED strip without challenges.