Introduction
Bored with your living space? Cove lighting can add an understated elegance and breathe life into the most uninspiring room. We'll show you how we built ours using LED strip lighting and demonstrate how to wire it up. We'll also give you the lowdown on this type of lighting and share other cove and lighting options that might be a perfect fit for your budget and decor.Is cove lighting right for you?
You may think your ceiling looks good now. But when the cove lighting rakes across the surface, you may discover seams and popped drywall nails you never knew existed.
Stand on a ladder and shine a flashlight across the surface of the ceiling. If it’s ugly or damaged, you may want to abandon the idea in favor of a light fixture or a cove that provides light to the walls.
Our cove lighting design
Our cove is built from crown molding and set two inches down from the ceiling. We installed the crown on top of a baseboard to create a wider space for the light, and tacked a small cove molding onto the bottom of the base to finish it.
We fastened a LED light strip to the wall so the lights would rake across the ceiling. To maximize the light, we kept the strip as high as we could without it being seen from the ground.
Make a small mock-up and experiment with different positions for the cove and lights. Every room is different, and the cove we made may not be the best style for your room.
Paint first
It’s easier to paint all the cove parts before you install them. Touching up a few nail holes after installation is a lot easier than taping off entire walls. Painting the part of the wall that will be seen above the cove will help tie everything together.
Choose either the color of the ceiling or the color of the cove. Lighter colors reflect more light, so paint the back of the cove components as well.
Choosing LED lighting
It’s important to think of low-voltage LED lighting as a ‘system.’ Transformers are available in 12-volt, 24-volt, magnetic, nonmagnetic, dimmable and nondimmable. The transformer, strip lighting and dimmer switch all need to be compatible.
Also consider how much lighting you need. Two transformers may be required for large rooms because each transformer can only provide power for a specified length of strip lighting. The lights at the end of a long run will be dimmer than the others if hooked up to an undersized transformer.
White light is most often used in commercial settings or for outdoor lighting, with warmer colors preferred for homes. Brighter (more lumens) strip lighting costs more but is a good option. Strip lighting run at less than full power will last longer. Some lighting systems can last up to 50,000 hours.
Cove lighting ideas
You don’t have to build your cove exactly the way we did. Here are a couple of alternative styles:
A Simple Cove
This easy-to-build, easy-to-install cove is made from 3/4-in. medium density fiberboard (MDF) ripped to size on a table saw. Countersink the screws. Fill the holes and touch up the seams with wood filler or surfacing compound.
Valence Style
Shine light on the ceiling and down the wall with this valance-style cove. This one is made from straight 3/4-in. clear pine. The sharp edges of the valance have been softened with a router fitted with a 1/8-in. round-over bit.
Install the T-shape base to the wall first, then fasten the valance to the base. Plan to buy twice as much lighting.
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