LED Profiles

What an LED profile does

An LED profile is a channel that holds LED strip in a straight line and gives the run a finished edge, so the light looks fitted rather than stuck on. The channel protects the tape, and a diffusing cover turns the row of bright dots into a softer line. A few of ours have the LED built in, so those need no separate strip.

Choosing an LED corner profile

An LED corner profile is made to fit into an angle, usually holding the strip on a sloping face so the light is thrown out diagonally. It is a neat way to run light along the join between a wall and the underside of a wall cabinet, the back edge of a shelf or a ceiling cove, with the strip tucked into the corner instead of on show.

Many of our LED profiles are corner profiles. Measure the run along the corner itself, and check that the profile suits the angle you are fitting it into.

Aluminium or plastic LED profiles?

We stock many LED profiles in aluminium and many in plastic, with a few in polycarbonate. Aluminium is rigid, stays straight over a long run and draws heat away from the tape, which makes it the usual pick for brighter strip or lights left on for hours at a time. Plastic is lighter and easy to trim, and a sensible choice for shorter runs on shelves and in display cabinets.

Which LED profile finish and cover to choose

Many of our LED profiles are finished in white or silver, and some in black or grey. White blends into white ceilings, cabinets and painted walls, silver sits well beside stainless steel and brushed metal handles, and black or grey suits dark joinery or a line of light you want to show off. Some have a clear finish. As a rule, a clear cover lets more light through but shows the LEDs as separate dots, while an opal or frosted cover gives a softer, more even glow that suits runs you can see directly.

What size LED profile do you need?

Start with your strip: the inside width of the channel has to take the width of the tape with a little room to spare. Depth matters too, because the further the strip sits below the cover, the smoother the line of light looks. We stock profiles from small through to extra-large, so go by the listed sizes rather than by eye.

Then measure the full run, allow for end caps and the cable exit, and plan any joins where they will be least visible, such as at a cabinet edge.

How to fit an LED profile

If you are fitting your own strip, trim the channel and strip to length first, cutting the strip only at its marked points. Clean and dry the surface, fix the channel with suitable clips, screws or adhesive, then press the strip along its base with the wire tails at the end nearest your power. Fit the cover last, once the strip has been tested.

Low-voltage strip runs from a driver matched to its voltage and wattage, and wiring that driver to the mains is a job for a qualified electrician, who will know when Part P of the Building Regulations applies in England and Wales.

Check the IP rating of your LED profile

Some of our LED profiles are rated IP20 and a few IP40, and neither rating gives any protection against water, so keep those profiles to dry indoor spaces. A few of our profiles are rated IP68. A bathroom needs a fitting rated for its zone, IP44 or above near water, and that applies to the strip, its connections and the profile together. Where a listing shows no IP rating, treat the profile as suitable for dry rooms only, and ask your electrician before fitting anything near a bath, basin or shower.