LED strips have become integral to decorative lighting. Right? They are flexible, affordable, and can be used both functionally and as accent lighting. However, these strips come in larger rolls. This brings a question: Can you cut LED strip lights? Generally, this cutting can be helpful when someone needs to use a strip in a small space.
Imagine you buy a strip light that is over 5 meters in length. However, you might only need one meter of strip for the kitchen cabinet. In this way, the 5-meter-long strip light may not be helpful, and you would prefer to cut it into pieces to use as needed. Interestingly, you can easily cut the LED strip lights. This article will discuss cutting the LED strip and everything in between.
Can You Cut LED Strip Lights?
Yes, the LED strip lights can be cut with ease. The manufacturers deliberately put a cutting mark with a scissor icon on the surface of strips. These icons are spaced at regular intervals every few feet. You can cut the strip using those scissor icons and use it to your desired (custom) size.
Strip lights are flexible circuit board assemblies with multiple LEDs attached. What makes this type of light stand out is its flexibility and adhesion to the backing. So you can stick the adhesive backing on walls or anywhere and install it with ease. These LED strips come in a roll; their length ranges from 10 to 16 feet, or even more. But we don’t always need such long strip lights. Right?
The reason is that these strip lights are mainly used for decorative purposes. So their smaller size in indoor spaces, i.e., the entrances to rooms or the kitchen, enhances the look of the home. In this case, we have to cut the strip light into smaller pieces to use as needed. Interestingly, you can easily cut these strip lights along the mark deliberately put in by the manufacturers. For cutting, you must cut the strip from a dedicated cutting mark (scissor icon).
Manufacturers add these cutting marks (as direction) at different intervals on the strip. You will need to find those signs so you can cut the strip lights perfectly. Remember, this strip has a small circuit board and an LED. If you cut without considering those marks (scissor icon), you might damage those circuit boards. Doing so can affect the performance or even the working of these strip lights.
How to Cut LED Strip Lights?
First things first – don’t cut the strip lights randomly. This will damage your LED strip light and waste your investment money. Cutting these strip lights should be done carefully. Don’t know how to cut strip lights? Don’t worry, as I am going to discuss the cutting process of these strip lights in three steps:
Step 1 – Put the strip Lights on a flat surface
First, place the strip light on a flat surface. You can keep it on a table if the strip is smaller or on land. The strip should be placed so that the surface where the circuit boards are located faces upward. The adhesive backing should be facing downward on the surface of the table or the ground.
Step 2 – Find the cut points (marks)
As I said earlier, the manufacturers make cut points or marks. These cut points are indicated as the scissor icon. If the strip is long, you’ll see these cut points or marks at regular intervals, i.e., after every 2 to 3 feet. But how much cutting mark manufacturers offer depends on the design of the strip lights. These cut points are on the upper surface, where the circuit boards and LEDs are located.
Step 3 – Measure the right size of strip
Before cutting, measure the required length of the strip. For this, I recommend taking measurements of the place where you want to install this strip. Suppose you need a strip that is 3 meters long. For this, you’ll have to find the cut point at about 3 meters. Remember, the LED strip comes with many cut points. So finding the cut point at the desired length won’t be difficult.
Step 4 – Use sharp scissor to cut the strip from the mark
The last step is to use the scissors to cut the strip from a specific mark. Remember, some people use knives instead of scissors when cutting LED strips. I don’t recommend doing this as knives are less sharp and may not cut the strip effectively. The scissors are sharper and cut the LED strip in one go. You should cut the strip from the desired cut point using the scissors. After cutting, you can use connectors at the ends of the strips if you want.
Where to Cut LED Strips?
As I said earlier, the LED strip lights come with dedicated cut points marked by scissor icons. You should cut the strips from those dedicated marks (scissor icon). Every strip light manufacturer applies these marks to the surface of its LED strips. The purpose of these marks is to guide customers to the correct point to cut the LED strip safely.
As I mentioned earlier, the LED strips have a small circuit board attached to them. Additionally, small LEDs are also present on the strip. If you cut the strip randomly, it would damage those circuit boards. If the circuit boards get cut or damaged, the strip lights won’t work. Therefore, you should carefully cut the LED strip from the directed cut points or marked positions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there any LED strips that I can’t cut?
Yes, there are LED strips that are not recommended to cut. Those include those that operate or work with higher voltages. Such strips are generally advised not to be cut in the user manuals as well.
How do I know if I can cut my LED strip lights?
Whether you can cut an LED strip depends on the type of strip. For this, I recommend you read the LED strip’s user manual for the exact instructions. If your strip has a scissor icon, you can cut it, and vice versa.
Can you reconnect LED strip lights after cutting?
Yes. It is possible to reconnect LED strip lights once they have been cut. For reconnecting, you can use connectors, small clips that attach the edges of cut strips.
What happens if I cut the LED strips incorrectly?
If cut incorrectly, the LED strips may not work again. Why? The reason is that wrong cutting of the strip can affect, or even damage, the circuit boards on the strips. If these circuit boards are affected, the strips are useless.
Do LED light strips still work when cut?
It depends on where you cut on the strip. If you cut at the recommended cut point (marking), your LED strip will work fine. If cut randomly without considering cut points, your strip may get damaged and not work again.
Conclusion
Do you have an LED strip that is longer than the required size? Worry not, you can easily cut the desired length of the strip and use it as per your needs. Generally, strip cutting is difficult because it may affect the circuit boards attached to the strips. However, the manufacturers add cut points indicated by the scissor icon on the strips. You can easily cut the LED strip from these cut points (scissor icons). This will help you use custom strip sizes and enjoy an excellent decorative lighting experience.