Special Producers of skirting boards with LED lights or the option of fitting LED lights

BACK TO THE FUTURE?

LED LIGHTS HAVE BEEN AROUND LONGER THAN YOU MIGHT THINK AND ARE STILL MAKING STRIDES

Did you know that LED technology is older than you might think? Almost 100 years ago, Oleg Losev, a Russian professor, carried out tests on it, but the first functional LED lamp didn’t appear until 1962. The first specific applications then came along in the 1970s, but after that it was a long time before LED was used for anything other than remote controls.

If Domotex had gone ahead this year, you would certainly have noticed that LED lights in skirting boards continue to grow. In recent years, we’ve seen everywhere how makers produce LED lights in skirting boards and now in 2022 it’s clear that the market is still far from saturated. In all cases, we’re seeing lots of makers come up with attractive applications.

When we look at the market, we see that progress is still ongoing and that for some time the range has gone beyond just any possible light colour. For instance, the ever-refining technology enables us to integrate lights into skirting boards with minimal built-in or structural height. Moreover, the range of handy LED strips is also growing and they are now part of almost all skirting boards and/or profiles.

Examples on the market

We take just two selections from the range to illustrate the point above, namely the Austrian FN Neuhofer and the Italian Progress Profiles. At Neuhofer, amongst other things, we see the clik-fix 23 LED. At first sight this seems to be nothing more than a light which shows you the way at home, but this LED light is much more than that. Indeed, this light can be controlled and deploys a fastening rail and LED channel. Each skirting board up to 90mm in height which is fitted with a clip groove can be plugged on, and this shows that nowadays it’s all about flexibility. Another interesting point is that the system can include both LED strips of different wattage and colours or just wires in the channels. Any surplus heat is discharged, if necessary, by using an aluminium design.

Progress Profiles confirms that the development which we see in Austria is also taking place elsewhere at lightning speed. Here we notice, for instance, the marketing of anodised aluminium cablechannel skirting boards with integrated LED lights. This is once again ideal for illuminating corridors and entrances of homes, offices, and such like, but it can also do much more than just that. Here we see how these lights not only generate mild and indirect light, but also that they solve many other problems. Think here not only of the fitting of the skirting board itself, but also at the same time the conduction through the skirting board of electric wires, such as those for computers, telephones, and other installations. Moreover, we also notice how the range can include both an inspection joint skirting board, comprising support for fastening with screws on the wall or vision profile, and a visible skirting board profile which is secured directly with silicone/adhesive.

Attention to design is growing

What’s interesting to note in all this is that year after year we’re noticing the increasing attention to design. The LED light actually demonstrates what is typical for each ‘new’ application; firstly, the makers work on technical refinement and only then (at least in most cases) do they consider what the product looks like.

What particularly stands out is how manufacturers are increasingly pointedly looking to buyers, whereby, obviously, apart from you, we also mean architects and interior designers. If we may give one piece of advice, you are now well aware of the technical aspects of LED, but never forget your end client’s interior wishes. And so, don’t just assess which solution is the best one from a technical point of view, but look at other things as well and consider the type of floor, the design, and even the home itself as part of the proposal which you draw up.

An overview

Auer Metallprofile

Auer Metallprofile offers LED stair nosings and LED skirting boards made of aluminum for the creative design of modern room worlds with direct or indirect lighting. LED skirting boards for indirect lighting are available in the dimensions 60x15 mm and 100x15 mm in silver anodised and powder-coated and, in addition to their functional elegance, impress with their simplicity and their spacious cable duct, which enables accurate, clean installation. The Auer range also includes 2 LED stair nosings in various anodised colours; one for direct and one for indirect lighting. Depending on the customer's requirements, the Auer LED profiles can be equipped with discreet illumination with 10 LED/m, medium illumination with 30 LED/m or an LED lighting band with around 500 LEDs per running meter for very strong, continuous, non-punctiform lighting shape. This opens up a multitude of design options for setting lighting accents. To round everything off, the Auer team offers various accessories, either as individual components or, depending on the profile, as a ready-to-screw all-round carefree package. All details are available at www.Auer-Metallprofile.de or on request.

Carl Prinz

At the moment, we have 5 different profiles in our range that can be equipped with LED strips. Thanks to their versatility they cover more application ranges as it seems. For example the Prinz aluminium skirting board no. 358 can also be mounted on the upper side of the wall to create a discreet ceiling light. Furthermore: depending on the wall construction, Prinz LED aluminum skirting boards can be fitted onto the wall, or they can be installed flush-mounted. The LED-duct "LUXline" can extend to any direction, thanks to its universal corner piece. Plus, it can be combined with any skirting board of choice - so the scope of design is almost infinite. Our profiles are designed so they can be equipped with any LED strip up to 10 mm in width, so the planner can use almost any system of choice. Most products are equipped with a diffuser that is clipped on, so the LED strips can be installed easily while they remain accessible at all times without disassembling the skirting board. As for the trends, we notice that the technology is developing towards a more professional appliance. Some years ago it was hard to find high quality strips with good components. Nowadays there are professional system suppliers that provide LED strips without visible light dots or adjustable colour temperatures, and high quality accessories to integrate the LEDs perfectly into the building automation without using small infrared remote controls that can get lost any time.

FN Neuhofer

An option for LED lights in skirtings is to integrate the LED-lights in the fixing system of the skirting. So you solve two problems with one product. The LED-track fixes the skirting and in a special duct under the skirting you can insert LED-strips and cover it with a semi translucent covering. The trend of integrating LED-lights in the skirting is going on since app 7-8 years, it is still a kind of niche, but it is a good niche. People like to lighten their homes with a hidden soft light and so the skirting or stair noses are perfect for that. The lights can be fitted as common LED-strips into e.g. the LED-track. The strips are self-adhesive and you can get it in many different options of lumen and light colours. For our LED-track, we use aluminium or plastics. There it is no problem to fit the LED-lights in. You just have to take care on the plastic-track that do not use strips with more than 9,6 W/m. Otherwise the strips get too hot and have a reduced lifetime. Progress Profiles

Lighting in skirting boards is quite a trend in interior decoration, a creative solution to replace traditional lamps and lights. Each space has specific requests: in hospitals, these products are installed to reassure patients, whereas in hotels’ hallways are used to show the way in the dark as well as to enrich spaces with a fancy touch of design. Progress Profiles offers a wide range of profiles that respond to the latest market requests and design trends. PROLEDLIGHT System is the ultimate LED range of profiles suitable for walls, stairs and skirtings. This system reinvents the concept of profile and transforms light into a bright and creative solution for a new way of fitting-out and living in private and public spaces in an aesthetic-emotional dimension. Designed by Arch. Gilberto Toneguzzi, Proskirting GILED can be fitted along the ceiling as a contemporary fitting-out or to decorate walls; Prostair LED, instead, is a non-slip stair-nosing profile with an integrated LED lighting system. Lastly, Proskirting LED is the patented skirting that solves problems like the passage of electric cables and also the ones for PC and telephone.