Surface-mounted LED luminaires: types and uses

Surface-mounted luminaires differ from other types in where and how they are installed. They cannot be recessed into the ceiling or suspended from it: they are fixed directly to the ceiling or wall, and the body stays outside without going into the ceiling.

You do not need to drill holes or damage a finished interior for them, as they simply sit on top of the surface. Because of this, surface-mounted luminaires have long been used where chasing walls and drilling holes for wiring was not an option: rented flats, rooms after renovation and so on. They also helped in rooms with unusual technical conditions, where a surface-mounted luminaire was the only possible choice.

What types of surface-mounted LED luminaires are there?

Today surface-mounted ceiling LED luminaires are used much more widely, mainly because there are many more types and designs. A surface-mounted LED luminaire can be installed almost anywhere, as long as you choose a model that meets your requirements. For example:

• for dry, warm indoor rooms, choose non-sealed ceiling luminaires without special protection;
• a sports hall needs luminaires with impact protection;
• a bathroom, sauna or swimming pool needs a moisture-proof luminaire;
• outdoors or in dusty production areas, a dust- and moisture-proof luminaire is the better choice.

By type of installation, surface-mounted luminaires (which can in fact be fixed not only to the ceiling but to almost any surface) fall into three main groups:

1. Spots

Spots have two main features: either their light is directional, or the base has a rotating design. Sometimes it is a set of several shades on a common bracket, which is fixed to the wall or ceiling.

2. Linear luminaires

They look like long rectangular fittings in the form of glowing lines.
Linear luminaires can provide background lighting, night lighting or general lighting of work areas.

The most common in this group are linear luminaires for homes and for offices. Surface-mounted linear luminaires are also often used in shops, storerooms and schools.

3. Surface-mounted furniture luminaires

Furniture LED luminaires come as integrated and surface-mounted models. Surface-mounted ones are much easier to install and are therefore more popular. They can be fixed without preparing the mounting surface: simply attach them to the edges of shelves and other surfaces. The favourite option at home is lighting over the kitchen worktop and inside large wardrobes and walk-in closets.

There are also highly specialised types, such as surface-mounted panels, but they are rare and used for narrow tasks.

Surface-mounted LED luminaires used to be installed only when there was no other way, when an ordinary chandelier could not be used. Today you can choose surface-mounted luminaires for a home or an office simply because you like them, and the wide range of models lets Vision Lighting select professional lighting to suit any taste.

Contact Vision Lighting and we will offer you a wide choice of models:

• surface-mounted office luminaires with soft diffused light that create a pleasant atmosphere;
• bright and unusual ones for shop windows.

Some rooms need one kind of lighting, others need something completely different. We have tried to take every advantage and feature into account to meet all needs. Bright or soft and subdued, extravagant or strictly classic, tiny or large: our luminaires suit all kinds of business and retail.

Advantages of surface-mounted luminaires

• Ideal for small offices and rooms with low ceilings. Mounting flush to the ceiling or any other surface, typical of surface-mounted models, is ideal for low ceilings and rooms with special requirements. A pendant chandelier makes a small room look even smaller, while a ceiling-mounted luminaire makes it look larger.
• A relief for tall people who are tired of hitting the light fittings with their heads.
• Small size and compactness. LED surface-mounted luminaires have one more advantage over other surface-mounted fittings: the tiny size of the LEDs themselves. Where size matters most, surface-mounted LED luminaires are irreplaceable.
• Safety. LEDs hardly heat up, so an LED lamp almost never causes a fire.

The light emitted by LEDs contains no ultraviolet or infrared radiation. This part of the spectrum is harmful to some crops and to old museum exhibits, so LED lamps are ideal for museums and farms.

And of course, one more advantage of LED lamps is their noticeable efficiency: LED luminaires last a long time and use little energy, while delivering a very strong luminous flux.