How to remove LED strip lights from wall and reuse: detailed instruction

How to remove LED strip lights from wall and reuse? LED strip lights are a bright and colorful part of the decoration that, at the same time, can become a good light source, which allows you to manage your usual daily tasks. It works both indoors and outdoor lighting. But sometimes people do not understand correctly the first time when they get to put the LED light strip in their room.

It is not a serious issue, of course, but you get to put in some effort now if you desire to put the LED light strip away the place and reuse the lights in some other spot. And you can reuse the light fixtures.

Do not worry if you face this situation. Fortunately, there is a method to put the LED strip light away carefully without impairing the wall and reuse them again. If you desire to know how to remove LED strip lights from wall and reuse them, the information is in the article.

led 11
Image source: pinterest.com

How to remove LED strip light from the wall?

Now is the moment to get to know the general technique to put rid of LED strip light away from the wall. It is not very difficult, but you get to be wary and attentive during the whole removal process. You also should keep in mind that it is easy to impair the wall when getting rid of the LED strip light if you are not careful enough.

The adhesive backing is firm and meant to last long. This is why you have to put some effort into getting the LED strip lights off the wall or other flat places.

But do not worry; it is not going to be difficult; everything is quite simple and takes just a little bit of time. 

Here are the instructions to move away LED light strips. You get to learn the instructions carefully and follow all the steps. You should work slowly to avoid any possibility of impairing the wall and the wall paint.

Step 1: switch off the LED light strips

Generally, you have to turn the LED lights off; you have to fully unplug the lights. If you do not accomplish this, the LED light strips can be damaged during the process, and you can get hit by the electricity.

Because the LED lights are usually connected to the outlet with 120 V.  

led 13 1
Image source: zackeeney.com

Step 2: heat the glue on the LED lights

As it said, the glue is affixed to the surface firmly. To get it off the wall without impairing it, you must warm the adhesive beforehand, so it is going to be more soft, and it will be possible to get the LED light strips with no problem. 

Usually, to warm the glue, you can use the hairdryer, because, among all the means that you can find at home, this is one of the best. But you are also using the heat gun and have the same good result in the end.

You get to turn the hairdryer at low heat or medium heat power, but not higher, to not impair the mechanism of the LED light strips. Further, you are obliged to head the hairdryer right to the place that you want to get off the wall without impairing the wall paint.

Further, you get to move the hairdryer guardedly and deliberately through the LED strip.

It is recommended to use a circular motion when you take the heat gun or blow dryer. When you feel that you have softened the wall enough, you can pull it on yourself until the LED strip lights are put away from the wall fully and without any problem. 

led 13 2
Imge source: learn.adafruit.com

Step 3: move from the corner to the end of the strip lights

You get to begin heating the LED strip lights at the corner, which is not very high and quite accessible for you. And then deliberately and guardedly move right to the last part of the LED strip light. 

During the removing it, you get to apply a slim thing or a flat object that can get right under the light strips in the place where the glue is softened enough.

For these actions, you can use a coin, a thin knife, or just a slim credit card. It is not something special to distinguish, usually. 

So, grab the knife, for instance, and put it beneath the LED strips and rub it a little to make sure that the adhesive is not fastened to the wall anymore in this certain spot. Then move forward with the flat object until you have reached the last part of the LED light strips. 

Do not forget to warm the glue till applying the knife to a certain site on the LED light strips.

And further, where you have worked with the hairdryer and the slim object, pull them on yourself carefully and slowly. 

You should also take the help of a friend or just someone else so that one of you is holding the LED strip lights and the other is working with the knife and the hairdryer.

Step 4: extract the adhesive residue

When you have removed the LED strip lights, now is the moment to go and check the wall to see if there is any glue residue. It is important to remove the sticky residue now, after getting the LED strips off the wall, until it is stuck to the side.

To get rid of the adhesive residue carefully and fully, you get to apply a soft cloth and wash the water with soap. Just gently rub the surface with the adhesive until you see there isn’t a sticky residue. 

led 14
Image source: pinterest.com

How to reuse LED strip lights?

Now that you’ve removed the LED strips from the wall, it’s time to figure out how to reuse the LED strips without spending too much time and money. You should read the instructions below and accomplish every step carefully.

Next, you must install the LED strips in the desired location on the wall.

Remove the old glue

As a rule, when you get rid of the LED strip lights from the wall and move away the adhesive residue, you can not apply the same glue that has been left on the back of the LED strip lights. 

Sadly, it is the way it is since, in most cases, the adhesive that has been used and then unattached from the wall loses its stickiness. In other words, if you try to fasten it again, it is not going to be firmly affixed.

You should remember it for many other cases when you apply the adhesive. Because when the adhesive is fastened to the place for the first time, it is going to become firm, and the stickiness is going to be very low then. It is preferable to never even try to apply the old adhesive.

So, what you should do is move away the old adhesive from the backside of the LED strips. To accomplish this step, you get to dampen the cloth and then apply it with a cleaner that is citrus-based or rubbing alcohol. You are also able to apply acetone.

When you apply the soft sponge with one of these liquids, you should rub the spots with the old adhesive. You should do this gently and carefully.

And only when you have removed the old adhesive are you able to use tape to paste LED lights.

led 15
Image source: amazon.com

Stick the LED strip lights again

At the moment, you are decisively able to restick the LED strip lights. You can reuse LED light strips now. Several techniques may apply in this situation and have no problems. They can assist you to stick LED strip lights.

1 method

You can apply the double-sided adhesive or other adhesive tapes that are usual for LED strip lights and next just fasten the LED strip to the place where you desire it to be. 

You can apply the usual adhesives and glues if you desire, but actually, it is not recommended.

It is so because, as a rule, adhesives can be very sticky, so it is easy for them to impair the wall paint and the side. You get to be especially careful with them if you decide to use them.

But do not worry; there are plenty of other means that you can apply to paste the LED strip lights. They will all make LED strip lights sticky.

For instance, you have to use mounting putty; that is the common solution in this situation. That will help you reuse LED strips. If you wish to apply the mounting putty, you should just form the putty into the one that you desire to apply for the LED strips.

Further, put the putty on the strip and secure the LED strip lights to the site where you prefer them to remain.

2 method

Another variant for you to use with the LED strip light is double-sided tape. And it is not complicated to use it with LED strips. So, everything you ought to do is just carve the double-sided tape according to the length of the LED light strip and further secure it to the strip lights.

The other side of the tape must be affixed to the wall. Further, you get to hold the strip firmly for a short amount of time to make it stick. 

3 method

Another variant that you can apply for LED strip lights is hot glue. You should apply the hot glue on the LED light strip, but you get to make certain that the temperature of the glue is normal. Because if the temperature of the glue is high, the glue can dissolve the LED strip light easily. 

The variant with hot glue for LED strip lights is one of the most successful since there are no toxic components in the hot glue. And the hot glue is not able to impair the wall or the paint. 

The cable ties are another instrument you may use to bind the LED strip lights to the side. But do not forget that the cable ties themselves get affixed to something. And it helps you reuse LED strips after removing LED strip lights.

You may use the LED strip light channel mounting, which is a well-thought solution in this situation with the LED strip light as well, surely. But it is required of you to employ nails to stick the mounting channel itself to the side. 

led 16
Image source: ledstriplightsidea.com

In conclusion, you can peel off and use the LED strip

If you were preoccupied that you had to install LED strips on the wall once and could no longer move them to another place, now you know what to do in this situation. There is an optimal technique to remove LED strip from the wall, and surely, it is not going to take much time and effort with LED strips.

You should just warm the LED strip lights and guardedly get them off the wall using the heat gun and a butter knife, for instance. 

And it is not complicated to restick the LED light strips as well. There are plenty of sticky stuff that you can apply. So, just start it, and you are going to see the result. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you remove LED strip lights from the wall without damaging them?

It is not complicated. You should unplug the LED lights, then apply the hairdryer or heat gun to heat them first. Then you get to apply the thin detail, for instance, a credit card or a butter knife, and put it under the LED strip to rub it and make certain that the adhesive no longer sticks to the wall.

Further, when you feel that it is feasible and secure, pull the LED strip lights. You get to go ahead doing this until all the LED strip are removed from the wall. If you are accomplishing this technique, the wall and the paint of the wall are not going to receive any damage.

How do you remove LED strip lights from the wall?

To remove LED strip lights from the wall, the operation demands a hairdryer, a heat gun, a knife, or a card. Firstly, you need to turn off the LED strip lights. Further, you have to heat the LED strip with the hairdryer. You should direct it to the LED strip and further deliberately and guardedly move it to warm the adhesive and remove LED light strips.

After it is warmed in a certain spot, you should put a knife under the strip and rub it slowly until you make certain that there is no adhesive paste affixed to the wall. Further, you should pull the adhesive until it is fully peeled off the wall. 

How do you make LED lights stick again?

First, you need to remove the old glue. You can apply damp clothes with rubbing alcohol to do that. After that, you get to apply either another adhesive, the 3M double-sided adhesive, hot glue, mounting putty, double-sided tape, or a mounting channel. This helps you to restick LED lights.

Every one of these means is going to help you stick the LED strip lights to the spot on the wall where you desire them. It is not recommended to apply robust adhesive since it can fastly impair the paint and the wall. 

Can you cut LED lights and put them in different rooms?

How to remove led strip lights from wall and reuse them? You may cut the LED light strips to divide them and apply them in various spots. You get to peel LED strip lights mindfully to evade electric shock. Furthermore, you should cut the strip only on the marked lines. And do not forget to unplug the device before cutting anything.

What are the LED lights?

LED light strips are flexible circuit boards that can be of various shapes and colors. The fixtures are dimmable, and the strip can be slit. The feature of the LED light strip that marks it so useful is that you can put it anywhere you desire.

By the reason of the adhesive backing on the backward of the LED strip the adhesive strip can be applied to every kind of superficies. There are several general kinds of LED strip lights. It is the Minger LED strip lights and the Phopollo LED strip lights. The one is water-resistant and flexible, and the second one is very long. These are the main differences between them.

Both kinds of LED lights apply double-sided adhesive. The sticky paste helps them get stuck to the surface for a long time and avoid the possibility of falling.

Randy

I am an electrician since 2003. As someone who’s worked in the Electrical industry, I have had the pleasure of speaking to thousands of lighting users over the years. I made lot of indoor and outdoor projects.

Leave a Comment