Can You Cut LED Strip Lights

Are you planning on installing LED strip lights but not sure if you can cut it to your desired length? Well, if so you’re in the right place.

In this blog we will cover what strip lights are, if you can cut them, where to cut LED strip lights and how to do it properly, and more details to help you to perfect your LED strip light installation.

What Are LED Strip Lights?

LED strip lights are a modern, versatile solution to both home/domestic and commercial lighting applications, allowing you to add a colourful option to your home or business’ lighting setup. Perfect for home use in areas such as kitchens, bathrooms, living rooms, and more, they are commonly used for accent lighting, under-cabinet illumination, and decorative purposes.

Thanks to LED profiles, you can also add a black or white filter or diffuser to the lights in order to improve the final result or alter the colour that the strip lights give out.

Users of LED lighting often cut their LED strip in order to fit whatever solution may be required. For example, LED strip lights are often only purchasable in set metre lengths, such as 2m, 5m, 10m and more. So if you need 3.5m of LED strip, but can only purchase 5m, then cutting the strip lights allows you to perfectly fit the lights to your desired requirements.

Can You Cut LED Light Strips?

Yes, it is safe and possible to cut LED light strips, but not in every scenario and not with every product. Some brands provide strip lights that are not cuttable at all, so make sure to check before cutting. Most LED strips are designed to be cut at specific intervals, so it’s highly important to make sure that you always cut the strip in the right places to avoid damaging it beyond repair.

Where to Cut LED Light Strips

You can tell where to cut the strip by looking for the marked cut points, which look like this:

This allows you to cut your strip lights to the desired length without affecting performance. Please note that you can actually use the spare strip that has been cut off from the connection, you can do this by soldering the strip, but we will go into more detail about this later.

 For safety reasons, make sure to cut the strip while there is no power going to it. You can do so with a regular pair of scissors, so cutting LED strip is something that anyone can do at home in a very small amount of time!

How to Cut LED Light Strips Properly

To cut LED strip just grab a pair of scissors and cut away, it only takes a moment so it’s perfect for DIY installation. Ensure clean cuts to guarantee the lights continue to function as expected, if cut in the wrong place it may cause the bit of strip that you still want to keep to malfunction or stop working altogether.

Can You Cut LED Strip Lights Anywhere?

There is a common misconception that LED strip lights can be cut anywhere, but this is not the case, it’s of paramount important to cut only at designated points in order to avoid any faults.

How to Connect LED Strip Lights After Cutting

Once the LED strips are cut you can reconnect the sections if needed. Some products use connectors or adhesive tape to re-join led strip to mains or battery powered voltage, but sometimes soldering is required to do so.

This depends on the brand/model of LED strip, and on the tools available to you. It’s best to check with us before cutting or re-joining any strip as this can go wrong very easily if you don’t use the right methods or tools. If you are not in a position to do this yourself, please contact an electrician to have them do it for you, there’s no shame in hiring a trained professional to do what they are trained to do!

Customising Your LED Strip Lights

In summary, you can cut LED strip lights safely and without damaging the product, but only if done correctly. If you cut any LED strip lights, please make sure to take complete care when doing so in order to avoid breaking the product.

Whether it’s for creating mood lighting, adding a personal touch to your home décor, or whatever else you require cut lengths for, we hope this guide helps you to do so.

If you require LED strip lighting for a home or commercial project, at Electricals Online we have your back. Visit the link below for excellent pricing and delivery times across LED strip lighting in a range of colours and lengths:

https://www.electricalsonline.co.uk/collections/led-strip