Installing lighting soon, entire headliner is carpeted, any good ideas with attaching LED strips?

Finished the headliner on my DIY camper.

Carpet link: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Traffic...Roll-Carpet-sq-ft-Roll-7PD5N660144H/203240740

Velcro link: https://www.homedepot.com/p/VELCRO-3-1-2-in-x-3-4-in-Sticky-Back-Strips-4-Pack-90075/202261913

Those sticky back velcro tabs actually stick well to this, was thinking of using that for my window covers (reflectix). Not sure if the LED strip sticky backs would work well though, anyone have any adhesive ideas? Superglue does not work at all in any way shape or form, tried it various times. Would prefer not to stick hard sided velcro directly to the soft carpet, as it does fuzz out eventually.

 

i've got a number of idea's. what kind of cost did you have in mind for the lights and mounting? and what were you considering for overall lighting-- something like 2 strips total, one on each side running the length of the bed?

 

Do you think it'll fuzz if the led strips stay put? I'm trying to figure how to do this as well.

 

with a lack of a response, i'll post a few different options.

the first issue is of course mounting. that tape is only rated to 5 pounds, and generally also likes to pull away in heat like that of a vehicle parked outside. the hooks are also designed for a loose-pile type carpet. a tight pile carpet like used, a more industrial type velcro will work better, both with the adhesive, as well as the velcro part to attach to the carpet.

this type of velcro will have a better all-temperature holding power, and have better gripping power with the low pile carpet.

$7 VELCRO Brand Industrial Fasteners Extreme Outdoor Weather Conditions Professional Grade Heavy Duty Strength Holds up to 15 lbs on Rough Surfaces, 4in x 1in (5pk), Strips, Gray

https://www.amazon.com/VELCRO-Brand-Industrial-Conditions-Professional/dp/B002YH1CCC/?th=1

next, i would recommend aluminum strips at least double the width of the led strip intended. this is there for a few different reasons.

first, the aluminum will give a much more solid mounting surface to attach the velcro to. you likely only need a 4" piece every 1-2ft or so--at least at the very ends, and a few in between. complete coverage won't be necessary.

the other reason is that any led strip needs a way to get rid of heat, and the aluminum will help offer a larger surface area to dissipate that.

and the last is entirely aesthetic, but the aluminum will be far easier to keep straight for the entire length for a better finished look.

there's really tons of options for the aluminum. cheapest and simplest would be some aluminum flat stock from home depot
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbil...-Flat-Bar-with-1-16-in-Thick-800217/204604762
or if the sides are square, angle channel could be used as well
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-96-in-x-1-in-x-1-16-in-Thick-Aluminum-Angle-800057/204325583


there's also dedicated led extrusions that cost more, but can make for a much classier final appearance.
muzata is a big name in Amazon for this--they seem to offer the most options for each model, though there's many other brands that offer the same or similar products. if shipping time is negotiable, it's all made overseas, so the same options are available for cost savings via alibaba/aliexpress, and possibly temu.
https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/60754EE1-FF64-4F9B-AA64-25FBFEB0945A?

overall, there's usually a choice between raw/silver track, and black anodized track. there's also typically 3 different snap-on cover options, which can be optional depending on the led strip used. most are offered with clear, white-diffused, or black-diffused covers. clear has the best light output, and either diffused option will cut any led strips output by roughly half to 2/3's what the clear cover will offer, but can be better for a different aesthetic, making for a 'softer' output, or just plain to prioritize hiding the led's when the system is off.

the most common two tracks like this are 'U', and 'V' channel
'U shape channel':

'V shape channel'


there are more custom forms, but they tend to be more specialty, and more difficult to locate in some cases:


these are just a few other ideas for products.

$58 JARBIH 5Pack 1M/3.3ft Ultra-Thin Led Aluminum Profile, 45° Oblique Lighting Cabinet LED Lamp, Invisible H7mm Surface Mounted Wardrobe Layer Shelf Panel Hard Bar Strip Light Channel System(Black)

https://www.amazon.com/JARBIH-Ultra-Thin-Aluminum-Lighting-Invisible/dp/B0CSD1VKLS/

$43 Litever 4 Pack 1M/3.3ft Aluminum LED Channels for DIY Up-Down Wall Wash Lighting, LED Channel System with Diffused Covers,Mounting Clips,End Caps for 2835 5050 5630 LED Strip Wall Mounting- LL-020-WA

https://www.amazon.com/Litever-Aluminum-Channels-Mounting-LL-020-WA/dp/B06Y2ZTPKV/

$110 Muzata 5Pack 3.3FT/1M LED Channel Aluminum Spotless LED Diffuser Channel Crown Moulding Trim with Milky White Cover Drywall Ceiling Lighting U131 WW 1M

https://www.amazon.com/Muzata-Aluminum-Moulding-Spotless-Plasterline/dp/B0CH3FRJSL

$43 Muzata 4FT/1.2M Spotless Aluminum LED Baseboard Lighting Frosted LED Strip Light Diffuser Neon Skirting Board Indoor Mood Lighting Baseboard LC31 1.2M

https://www.amazon.com/Muzata-skirting-Spotless-Aluminum-Diffuser/dp/B0989L9GM9

important to note, if the desired version has an undesirable diffuser option, be sure to check dimensions of alternate diffuser options before purchasing-- many products are only available with a specific-molded diffuser, and other options won't fit.

and finally, we're at the led strips.

i would suggest these. the COB led strips will provide a more even glow, and any version with at least 300 led's/meter will offer the smoothest glow. they're also fully waterproof, which many other versions aren't.

$20 GOMING DC 12V COB LED Strip Light Natural White 4000K IP65 Waterproof 16.4ft(5M) 1560LEDs CRI 93+ Uniform Glow Flexible LED Tape Lights for DIY Bedroom Kitchen Home Decor(No Power Supply)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C4PCSYJF/?coliid=I29POAVPIYZKJJ&colid=1NU8XJFYYKYJZ

but despite the mounting tapes claims, i always remove their version(usually far easier than a genuine 3m tape should ever remove), and install genuine 3M extreme mount (same formulation as 3M body molding tape, just in a larger/wider roll)

$19 Scotch-Mount Double Sided Mounting Tape Heavy Duty, Black Extreme Mounting Tape, 1 Roll Adhesive Tape, 1 in x 400 in Wall Tape (33.3ft), Our Strongest Tape For Our Toughest Jobs (414H-Long-DC)

https://www.amazon.com/Scotch-Mount-Double-Extreme-Mounting-Adhesive/dp/B00FUEN2GK

 

Gah I'm sorry I haven't responded! Let me update this thread in a few days with what I did (spoiler, not much - the carpet is hard to work with, any sticky stuff at all just does not stick).