Lighting Materials
Valance Framing
The skeleton frame that supports the LED ribbon lights only uses the aluminum angle and flat bar stock seen here, along with thin wooden strips. The flat bar stock needs to be only 1/16″ thick so it can curve along the outside edge of the valance.
LED Ribbon Lights
LED ribbon lights are everywhere. I ordered mine from Amazon. All are: 16.4 ft. (5 meters) in length, accept 12 volt DC and are non-waterproof. I found that it’s best to have a mix of RGB and Warm White LEDs to get the most natural light and to allow for the widest variety of lighting options. The specific SMD sizes and LED counts shown below provided the appropriate amount of light for me.
Order some variations of intensity, color temperature and SMD size to see what works best for you. Some areas of your layout may need more or less light or maybe a different color temperature looks better.
While I installed a string of RGB and another string of Warm White LEDs next to each other, it is more common now to find LED strings that combine RGB and Warm White into 1 string of ribbon lights. I would investigate the viability of that style of lights if I was starting over.
Warm White
- SMD2835
- 600 LEDs
- 3000K color temperature
RGB
- SMD5050
- 300 LEDs (100 each of Red, Green, Blue)
Power & Control
The DC transformer is generic but you need to ensure you are delivering the correct voltage and have sufficient amperage.
The specific Smart Controller shown here was ordered from Amazon but is no longer available. There is another similar Controller that provides identical function but uses a different Smartphone app. That Controller could also be gone at any time.
Other Controllers with similar features are coming on and off the market continually. Order a small number of lights and Controllers to make sure they meet your requirements and then order enough for your layout plus several extra components that you think might get discontinued.
Pay close attention to the style of LED ribbon lights you are ordering to make sure the Controller will work with it. For instance, some Controllers will only work with LED ribbon lights that have RGB and Warm White LEDs on the same ribbon string.
Only the major components are shown; be prepared to buy connectors and connecting wires.
Valance Skin
The valance skin was simple 1/8″ masonite. To produce a more finished look, I used corner molding at the top where the masonite met the ceiling and where it met vertical studs at the ends. At the bottom, I used a black edge molding that simply slides onto the edge of the masonite.
Ceiling Grids
On the inside face of the valance skin, I created one continuous band of aluminum to which the wall molding could be fastened. That’s what the aluminum bar is used for.
The ceiling grid itself was made using standard suspended ceiling grid parts from the big box stores. At a minimum, you’ll need: wall molding and cross grids. You may need: main grids, hangers, joist mounts and rivets. If you are mounting the lighting panels against curved walls, you’ll need the Trim-tex Flex Grid Angle by Armstrong, which I found at a drywall supply outlet.
Lighting Panels
I used standard ceiling panels from the big box stores. They come in various sizes and finishes.
